


Navigator

by MillieMae



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fanart, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Kink, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-02-15 19:11:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 147,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2240199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MillieMae/pseuds/MillieMae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna & Sumner were the pair, the ones you wanted in the sky with you. Their connection to each other & the Viper was unheard of, the enemy seemingly falling from the sky before them. Then Sumner is killed & Anna is broken, leaving Atlantis, swearing to never return. But a year later she does, bringing Rodney McKay with her, a self-proclaimed genius and previously unidentified Navigator. Can they & their newly bonded Pilots finally bring an end to the war?<br/>This is an AU of Atlantis with famaliar faces from SG-1 too. Rated Explicit for lang/smut. Slash/Het. Mild BDSM/Daddy Kink in future chaps.</p><p>The lovely marlislash has created a fab piece of fanart for me which I'm ashamed to say I can't figure out how to post to my chapters but I'm working on it. For now here is the link. And a big thank you to it's creator. http://archiveofourown.org/works/3191897</p><p>Edit: Yay, I finally have my banner up! Photobucket where have you been all my life? A big thank you again to marlislash who created the fanart and baby-stepped me through posting it to my story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

“Can you teach me how to give a blow job?”

Anna spat her coffee out and choked on the bit that had been sucked down her throat. “Jesus Rodney, you don’t ask shit like that”

“You don’t?”

“Well, not out here and when I’m halfway through my coffee”

He grinned at her.

“It’s not funny McKay”

“Sorry”

“Really?”

“Uh, no. You missed a bit” He smirked at her and gestured to his own chin.

Glaring at him she grabbed a napkin and wiped her face. Placing it on the table and picking up her coffee Anna kept her voice low. “Why?”

He shrugged. “We get paired up in a week”

She smiled at him. “Rodney, you don’t have to have sex with them. It’s not part of your duties”

“But everyone says that when you’re joined, and out there, relationships are built, bonds are formed. And I don’t want to not know what I’m doing”

Anna sighed. “Yeah, its pretty intense but the only bond you need to form is one of trust, friendship. You are not expected to take it to another level”

“But most do?”

She chewed her lip. “Um, a lot do but not everyone. You get to see all of them, and they get to see all of you. All the bad bits and the good bits. Its hard to separate once you’ve been in each others head but that doesn’t always mean sex. Just spend some time in their company, relax and read, or watch a movie. Quite often just sitting touching shoulders will be enough to prevent the shock”

“Shock?”

“Of being suddenly separated”

“In training they said I’d just feel…empty for a while?”

Anna nodded. “Yeah, and kinda lonely. You can also feel cold, shaky, anxious”

“Shit”

“But thats only when the mission has been intensely brutal which isn’t as often as it was. For your normal milk runs that won’t happen as long as your Pilot knows to stick around for a while after. And they don’t give any Pilot a Navigator if they haven’t passed all the tests” She squeezed his hand. “Just make sure you stay close until you feel better, and don’t jump into the sex thing. Its not necessary, and if you’re not gay pushing yourself that way could really fuck you up ok?”

He nodded. “I am gay”

“Don’t lie Rodney. Why would you need me to explain blow jobs if you were gay?”

Her friend looked down at the mug clasped in his hands. 

“Rodney?” She squeezed his hand again. “Honey you ok?”

He nodded again and took a deep breath. “I only fancy men”

“Right”

“But I’ve never um, you know”

“Really?”

“Yeah”

“Sweetie aren’t you like thirty five?”

“Yes, thank you”

Anna smiled gently at him. “So you’ve been waiting?”

Rodney shifted in his chair a little. “I’ve uh, never been um, confident about that kinda stuff”

She furrowed her brow trying to read into his sentence. “Oh. But you’re so smart, and a kick arse Navi, and really hot”

He snorted. “I know the first two, but I’m not uh, hot”

“Yeah, you really are honey”

Rodney raised his head. “You have to say that, you’re my friend”

“Uh uh, as your friend I am contractually obliged to tell you if you need to start working out, change up your wardrobe or you have spinach in your teeth” She grinned at him. “You’re hot, deal with it” Then she frowned. “Is there a reason you don’t think you’re hot?”

“No”

“Liar”

“Bite me”

“No”

He sighed. “When I first went to a gay bar this guy, he was chatting me up all night, you know small innuendoes, little touches. I uh, thought that maybe he could be the one to uh, you know. Then this other guy comes up to him and they just start making out right in front of me. When they broke apart he laughed in my face, slung his arm over the guys shoulder and said ‘Please, you were fun, getting you all riled up but you’re not pretty enough to be a true gay’. Then he winked at me and left”

“Oh sweetie…”

“Don’t”

“He was an asshole Rodney. And it happens, to straight people too. There’s always dicks like that, but you need to meet them so you can learn to spot them a mile off”

“Right, like you’ve been told you weren’t pretty enough, ever”

“Of course I have” She curled her legs under her. “One of the most memorable was some prick who came over to chat up my friend when we were at a club. When she went to the bathroom he had the cheek to say to me ‘no offence darlin’ you’re hot but you’re tits are way too small’”

He gaped at her. “What did you say?”

“I punched him in the face and told my friend he was a prick. She fucked him anyway”

Rodney snorted. “God I love you”

“Love you too honey”

“Your tits are great by the way”

Anna looked down. “I’ve grown to love them. As have many men after him” 

 

Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell raised a brow as she looked down at her chest and said something causing her lunch companion to grin. His attention had been caught by them after a choking sound had drifted through the doors to the balcony that ran outside the mess and he’d watched her mop up her coffee, and wipe a drip from her chin. He licked his lips, lost in his own thoughts.

“Stop ogling the Navi’s Mitchell”

He looked up and rolled his eyes at Colonel Caldwell. Like fuck he was gonna salute. “Not ogling”

“Yeah you were” Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard smirked at him over the table. “And you kept licking your lips”

“Fuck off Shep, was not”

“Was too”

“Was not”

“Shut up” Caldwell sat down and unrolled his cutlery. “How you two ever made it into the programme is beyond me”

“We’re awesome”

“Yeah, awesome dicks”

Major Lorne grinned into his coffee.

“Shut up Lorne”

“Hey, didn’t say a word”

“I can hear your thoughts”

“Bullshit”

“Gentlemen, please get a fucking grip” Caldwell poked Mitchell’s hand with his fork.

“Hey!”

“And cut it out Mitchell”

He glared at his fellow Pilot. “I’m not doing anything Sir”

“In the words of Major Lorne, bullshit” Caldwell grinned at him. “And be careful what you wish for. She’s the late Sumner’s old Navi”

Mitchell watched Lorne’s mouth gape open a little. “Fucking hell, really?”

“Yep”

Mitchell raised a brow at Sheppard who shrugged. Rolling his eyes he turned back to his supposedly superior officer. “She looks young, thought this was her first run?”

“Nope. O’Neill pulled her out of some lab at the mountain when she was nineteen and shoved her into Navi training. Apparently he’d gotten sick of fights breaking out all over the base every time she got pissed”

“She’s an Empath too?”

“Oh yeah”

“Huh. So all of that is a bad thing because?”

“Not a bad thing son, but she’s a tricky pairing. And this is her first trip back after his death”

“Oh”

Caldwell sighed and placed his cutlery back on the plate. “She’s a natural Navigator, and that guy sitting with her is the only one who’s gotten close to her ability. When she was paired with Sumner it took everyone by surprise, even the geeks who perform the tests. But they worked. They became the pair, the ones who you wanted with you on every mission. For two years they took down everything Pegasus could throw at them”

He tapped the table thoughtfully. “Then one day they face down this thing, this hybrid Krill, it was huge, the shielding and weaponry beyond anything we’d seen before, or have seen since. Sumner was taken out, speared through the windscreen and into his chair. Anna downloaded the intel as ordered, finished off the Krill and flew the Viper back to the city”

Sheppard raised a brow. “Alone?”

“Yep” he picked up his cutlery again. “Only Navi on record as being able to fly a Viper without a Pilot”

“Shit”

“Exactly Mitchell” He grinned at the other Pilot. “Not saying she’s gonna get her wings anytime soon, the flight path was erratic, and the landing messy but she did it. In shock and without her Pilot”

He frowned. “Thought Sumner died a year ago? And this is her first run?”

“Took her three weeks to regain consciousness, and another three months in rehab. Apparently when you’re a Navigator and an Empath having your Pilot’s connection ripped from you fucks you up. Then she took herself off to Athos. Been working the front line, staging rescue missions” He gestured subtly behind his shoulder. “The guy is Rodney McKay, she met him out there, identified him as a fellow Navi and dragged his arse back with her. Told O’Neill she’d rejoin the programme if McKay could be trained up. Turn’s out he was missed by the SGC, was only at the mountain a few months, right around the time we were just starting to realise that identifying and pairing Navi’s with Pilots meant a lot more work than we first thought”

“And he’s that good? Even after coming to training later?”

“Umhmm” Caldwell poked his food thoughtfully. “Damn shame, he could have been another Anna if he’d been caught early enough”

 

11 months and 3 weeks ago.

Anna sat on the floor in the V of his legs and played with the label of her beer bottle, the movie on the screen in front of her beginning to blur slightly. She took a quiet but shaky breath trying to will herself to calm down, come down. She’d nearly lost him, lost them and several other Viper’s too. A hand stroked gently over her hair. 

“Relax Angel” His voice always seeped inside, warming her, easing the ache in her tired muscles. She slumped a little against his thigh. “Thats it, good girl. Let it go. We’re home now. You were so good Angel, always are”

She panicked a little at the small moan that threatened to escape her lips and fought it back down, trying to find enough purchase to push off his leg. She shouldn’t want this, feel this. It was weird and wrong, and something she’d resisted just fine for two years. But she couldn’t shake the images of him dying back there and they were fucking with her usual iron clad control, and then the hand was back and she wanted to push up into it, like a cat who begs to be stroked. A small tear escaped and she tried to subtly brush it away.

The hand trailed down, reaching her chin and tipping her head up. “Why the tears my Angel?”

She shook her head and tried to pull away. He’d started calling her Angel after their third mission together where she’d spotted a Krill that he hadn’t, and taken it out with a volley of shots before he could blink.

He frowned. “Anna?”

Swallowing she looked back up at him. “You were nearly gone” She whispered.

His face softened. “But I’m not. I’m right here, never going to leave you Angel”

Anna nodded and tried to blink away the last of the tears. And then she was being pulled up, curled awkwardly in his lap. She shifted, trying to slide down next to him, his proximity always tested her. His grip tightened. “Anything you need Anna, anything you want”

She took another shaky breath and tried to relax into the security of his hold. Arms wrapped tight around her, chest pressed close to her side, warm breath ghosting over her hair. Anna tipped her head and lightly pressed her lips against his. Her Pilot moaned quietly and moved one of his hands so it could bury in her hair, sure tongue cool from beer sliding between her slightly parted lips and running over hers.

She whimpered softly, and he stood, still with her hooked in his arms, tongue exploring her mouth and padded through to his bedroom, the door being kicked shut behind him.

Her Pilot was everywhere, arms braced around her, body pressed onto her, dick sliding in and out of her. “So beautiful Angel, I’ve waited so long for you to be ready. Now you’re mine, all mine” As his words brought down the last of her walls his emotions crashed into her. Desire, want, lust suddenly overwhelmed by love, belonging. As the waves hit her body shook, pure bliss, true love ripped through her, an orgasm so powerful it stopped her breath and blacked out her world.

Lying in his arms the tears came again. Anna berated herself for being so fucking weak, such a slave to her Empath side.

“There shouldn’t be anymore tears Anna”

She pressed her face further into his chest. “Don’t leave me”

His hold tightened. “Not going anywhere Angel”

The next day.

As the piece of metal pierced his chest and he screamed Anna screamed right along with him. The pain he felt radiated through her body, tore through their connection. Then it was quiet, dark, lonely.

She sat slumped in the chair sobbing, desperately seeking him out and finding nothing but silence. Then the rage came.

A different scream this time. One that rang with anger and hate, and despair. As she destroyed the Krill she took everything it had, just as it had taken everything she had. When it began to break apart and the Viper rocked from the explosions she turned and set a course for home. She gripped the arms of the chair. Not home, home was sat in the chair before her, lifeless, eyes wide, mouth gaping, blood pouring from its chest. She was going back to base, one she had every intention of walking away from and never coming back.

 

Present Day

“You are distracted today Anna” Teyla watched her sparring partner as she rubbed the feeling back into her hand.

“Actually I’m pretty sure you’re just more kick arse today”

The Athosian raised a brow. Teyla had been the first alien occupant of the city, met with distrust and not so easily disguised suspicion but with Colonel Carter’s, and her team’s, help she had made a place for herself here. Walking away from her home planet when the last of her family were killed in battle. Now she was a valued resident, a warrior with a strong Empathic side and a deep understanding of their enemies.

Anna had gone to her to request training in the art of hand to hand after Sumner had encouraged her. “Sometimes we will not be in the air when we face our enemies Angel, and sometimes enemies will not show themselves until it is too late”

She’d never really figured out the last part of the sentence but she had been grateful for his urgings. Anna had indeed faced some enemies on the ground and they had fallen in the face of the Athosian’s expert training. And when she’d woken all those months ago, having to deal with the grief for a second time as her memories came flooding back Teyla had been there, had proved a great friend. Anna was sure she would still be a drooling wreck if it wasn’t for her.

“Anna?”

She blinked. “Right, sorry Tey” She smiled. “Got a little lost then”

Teyla nodded. “You are to be paired with another soon?”

Anna shrugged. “Maybe. But theres a good chance there won’t be a match for me this time round. Some Navigator’s have to wait two or three runs before they are successfully paired”

“And if you are?”

“It isn’t an unknown procedure for me, it holds no fear”

“And yet I feel it”

“Your Empath side sucks”

Teyla smiled. “Actually I believe it is very powerful”

Anna rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant Athosian” She sighed and sat on the mat, sticks in front of her. She rolled one back and forth thoughtfully. “The day the pairings are to be announced is the day that….” She chewed her lip and sighed again.

“He died”

Anna nodded.

Teyla sat in front of her. “A cruel twist Anna. But to join with another Pilot is not a sign of disrespect towards him or his memory, nor will it take him from you. You shall remember and so will your pairing. Marshall’s knowledge, his experiences, skills, will be passed to another through you”

She licked her lips. “Yeah”

“There are things you do not wish to share?”

“Maybe”

“They do not allow these Pilot’s a Navigator if they are not deemed worthy. They will have passed all the tests Anna, know what to expect. And many of them have seen battle, lost loved ones”

“You basically just repeated what I said to Rodney a few days ago”

Teyla tilted her head.

“Believe me you don’t want to know”

“I am quite sure I do”

“You really don’t” Anna grinned at her. “Although the look on his face when I answered his question was priceless. Should have taken a photo”

“I am intrigued”

“You can beat it out of him when he comes for his training later” Anna had insisted her new friend meet with Teyla. He may have been serving on the front line back on Athos but his CO had been a dick, refusing to teach him anything that would come in useful during combat. The engineers hadn’t even been allowed to carry a weapon.

 

Steven watched her as she and McKay stood from their dinner table and parted ways. He’d been intrigued to see her again and had been surprised at how relaxed and happy she seemed. The last time he’d seen her she’d silently blinked up at him from her hospital bed as his words of condolence and comfort had appeared to roll off her, not penetrating the walls she’d rebuilt in the wake of her Pilot’s death. Anna had been broken, there’d been no other word for it, and he’d not only mourned his old friend Sumner but the loss of an outstanding Navi,a brilliant young woman.

In two days the latest pairings would be announced, and when he’d heard the proposed date he’d grimaced. Anna would meet her new Pilot on the one year anniversary of the death of her first, and only, pairing. A man Steven was pretty sure she had fallen in love with, and he her. If he wasn’t privy to the fact that she had Landry wrapped around her little finger he’d have sworn the bastard had done it on purpose. But despite the upcoming date she still seemed to be projecting the same easy confidence, relaxed attitude that he remembered before her world had been ripped apart.

“Steven?”

He looked up into amused eyes, that he now realised were the same colour of the Lantean Sea.

“Penny for them?”

He raised a row. “Do you have a penny?”

“Uh, no”

He grinned. “Then you don’t get to hear them”

Anna rolled her eyes and sat opposite him. “You’re still an annoying bastard”

“Thank you” He took his last mouthful of dinner and swallowed. “How you doing Anna? I’ve been meaning to catch up but it’s been crazy since I got here”

“Good” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “But your presence was a little surprising. You’ve decided to rejoin the programme?”

“Figure I have a couple of years left before they stick me behind a desk. Hopefully in that time I can see the fuckers gone for good”

She nodded. “I hope you get what you wish for”

“I have no doubt with you back in the sky”

Anna pulled her face. “I may not even get back in the sky this run. And I’m not some fucking miracle worker Steven, there are plenty of people who bring awesome skills to the fight”

“Hmm, like your shiny new friend”

“I don’t believe Rodney is shiny. A good job too, he would give away our position”

“I see your stunning wit is still intact”

“Yep”

Steven took a sip of coffee. “However I still look forward to flying with you again”

“You do?”

“Yep, even though you called me a crazy arse Pilot with suicidal tendencies matched only by my God complex”

There was a snort behind him. “She knows you well Caldwell”

“Bite me Mitchell”

The other Pilot took a seat next to him. “No thank you”

Steven glared at him. “Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, this is Anna Rayne”

“Pleased to meet you Miss Rayne” Mitchell gave a lopsided smile. “I’ve heard only good things”

The other man rolled his eyes.

“Thank you” Anna smiled back. “Are you enjoying your time on Atlantis?”

“If one more person sticks a needle in me I’m gonna punch them in the face”

Steven snorted.

Anna grinned. “Only two more days then the tests stop. Then it’s three weeks downtime, which will probably result in a nervous twitch and a life-long aversion to the movie franchise Aliens”

Mitchell raised a brow.

“They’re Ronan’s favourite, and everyone’s too scared to say no”

“Um, ok”

Steven smirked at him. “You’ve not met Ronan?”

“I don’t think so”

“Believe me, you’d remember”

“Umhmm” Anna played with a discarded napkin. “He’s like a hotter version of Schwarzenegger’s Conan”

“Oh, wow”

“Yep”

“Is he a Pilot?”

“Nope, he’s from Sateda. Was part of their military until he was captured by the Krill”

“He survived the Krill?”

Anna nodded. “Carter’s team found him on the run. After he’d had a shower and been found some clothes we decided to keep him. He pretties up the place”

“Anna, that is inappropriate”

Mitchell’s brow raised again. The Colonel was looking at her with an expression of fond exasperation. He wondered how far back their history went, and just what was hidden there.

“Don’t be a bore Steven, and I’m sure I say much more inappropriate things too”

“Shut up” He briefly looked up as Lorne and Sheppard joined their table, nodding a greeting. “So, how was Athos?”

“Hot, smelly and full of crazy people trying to kill you”

“Sounds fun”

“Oh yeah, it was a laugh a minute”

Sheppard grinned into his coffee.

“Miss Rayne”

Anna tilted her head up at the young man in a technicians uniform. “Yes?”

“It is time for your psych test”

“Didn’t I already do one of those?”

“Three years ago Rayne” Steven flicked his fork towards her. “Fuck off, and behave yourself. No trying to manipulate the test”

She stuck her tongue and stood. “Your manners still suck”

“Go away”

They watched her follow the tech through the tables of the mess. Lorne cleared his throat. “Didn’t realise you knew her personally”

Steven stabbed another piece of food with his fork. “Sumner and I joined the programme at the same time. And we both got new Navi’s the run he was paired with Anna”

“Oh, that sucks”

“Yeah Major, it really did”

 

Anna woke quickly and quietly but her heart was still pounding, hands shaking, hair stuck to the back of her neck with sweat. She shivered slightly. Fucking nightmares. The arm slung over her waist tightened and he stirred.

“You ok?”

“Hmm” She buried further into his hold trying to get warm. “Sorry Rodney”

“Hey it’s ok. This is what I’m here for right?”

She nodded and closed her eyes. Back on Athos, when he’d found her for the third night running hunched by a fire behind the front line, shaking hands grasping her tea, Rodney had asked about the nightmares. She’d told him, everything, which had scared her a little but he’d been projecting concern and kindness, with a hint of fear nudging its way along the edges of his emotions and Anna had gratefully shared her fears, her grief. Others seemed to shy away from her, not sure what to say, ask, about the rumours that had followed her out there.

Rodney had listened quietly, nodding occasionally, his emotions rolling over her almost matching hers perfectly. She had found another Navigator, stuck out in the arse end of hell. So when he’d suggested sleeping beside her she’d agreed, searching him for any hint of desire or lust and finding nothing. She’d always wondered why he’d never wanted her and their conversation a few days ago had finally given her the reason.

And now he was back in her bed, the nightmares returning as the date drew nearer. She smiled a little, wondering what Landry would say if he suddenly strolled in looking for her as he often did.

“Anna?”

“Yeah” She yawned.

“What will happen when we’re paired up?”

“You mean about this?”

“Yeah” He shifted slightly. “Um, I was told they’re pretty possessive, even before the first true joining”

She snorted. “Oh yeah. I’m afraid this won’t be allowed”

“Will you be ok?”

“Of course. If I’m paired I’ll have a Pilot to go to if they get bad”

“And if you’re not and I am?”

“Then I’ll find a hot guy and make him stay with me”

“Whore”

“Virgin”

 

Two days later.

Anna went for a run, a long run. She pounded the catwalks, up and down flights of stairs, taking a minutes breather to stop at the end of the pier and watch the sunrise. It was beautiful here. Shame about the sucky neighbours. Bouncing gently on the balls of her feet she tilted her head, trying to decide how much longer she could run for before she threw up. Her time with Teyla, and on the front line, had pushed her fitness to another level, but she wasn’t exactly boasting Marathon runner stamina yet.

She nodded before setting off at a gentler pace back down the pier, if she took it slow she could run for another couple of hours. That’d be long enough to miss the tech who would bring her news of any pairing. It was cowardly, and completely useless, as they’d find her anyway but she needed this. One last act of independence, of having him all to herself. If she was to be joined her grief wouldn’t be private anymore, nothing would be, and that scared the shit out of her more than any Krill.

She stopped in front of her door and ripped off the envelope that had been stuck to it. Anna looked at it and sighed. She’d run until she was drenched in sweat, her legs beginning to turn to jello and her lungs burning. She really needed to give up those last few cigarettes that were becoming a hard habit to break. She couldn’t run anymore but she still felt restless, anxious. Today was gonna suck.

The door slid shut behind her and she turned the envelope over in her hands.

“Putting off the inevitable Miss Rayne?”

Her head snapped up. Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell was propped against the far wall, hands in his pockets, ankles crossed.

“Uh..”

“Don’t worry, you’re in the right quarters. Although I must admit I too was a little confused when I found Rodney McKay in here earlier”

She blinked at him, brain trying to recover from the mindless physical torture she’d just put her body through. 

“Does he stay every night?”

“Uh, no”

“Hmm. Would you care to tell me why?”

“He snores”

Mitchell growled quietly and she gripped the letter a little tighter. There was no need to open it, she knew she had a new Pilot now, and exactly who he was. “Try again Miss Rayne”

Her skin goose-bumped, the sweat cooling and tightening it. A list of perfectly valid reasons were all available, all sitting on the tip of her tongue but it would be a worthless lie. In a few weeks time he’d know exactly why Rodney stayed, why she curled in to her friends embrace and buried her face in his warmth. Then she felt a little sad that she wouldn’t get that anymore. It seemed Mitchell was a textbook example of a Pilot, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she’d no longer be allowed to take a piss by herself.

“I’m waiting”

Anna took a discreet breath to try to even her nerves, make sure her voice didn’t crack. “I get nightmares”

He stood a little straighter and raised a brow.

She licked her lips. “Mostly Sumner, sometimes other’s”

“Others?”

Anna shrugged. “People we lost along the way”

“I see” He pushed off the wall and stepped in front of her, taking the letter from her hand. “No need for this now I guess” He flipped it between his fingers thoughtfully. “The idea of him here makes me a little edgy Anna but if you need him to sleep, and his Pilot agrees, you may continue”

“Uh..”

“Be quiet. But if I think there’s anything other than comfort..”

She shook her head silently.

“And McKay’s Pilot would be pissed too. He’s nearly as much of a bastard as I am”

Anna fought the urge to snort in laughter, keeping her face straight. “I am not Rodney’s type”

“I think you’re everyone’s type”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t have a penis”

“Excuse me?”

Anna shot him her best ‘you’re a fucking idiot’ look and waited for him to catch on.

“Huh. Really?”

“Yes, I really don’t have a penis”

Mitchell sighed. “Are you trying to piss me off?”

She widened her eyes. “Um, no?”

He suddenly grinned at her. “You know I doubted these tests when I got my letter this morning but I think we’re going to get along just fine”

“We are?”

“Oh yes”

“Crap”

He chuckled. “Grab a shower then we’re outta here”

“We are?”

He gently cuffed her. 

“Hey!”

“Stop pissing about” He wiped his hand on his BDU’s. “And please go shower, what did you do? Run a fucking Marathon?”

“Half a one actually” She eyed him.

“Oh no, I’m staying right here. No more running today Anna”

 

He listened to the shower turn on and the thunk of sweaty clothes hitting the bathroom floor before sitting on the edge of her bed, hands still holding her letter, informing her that he was her match. He stared at it, expecting it to suddenly burst into flames or for Sumner’s voice to sound in his ear, telling him it was a mistake, that he wasn’t ready, not for her.

Mitchell scrubbed a hand over his face. When he’d opened his he’d stood in the middle of his quarters staring at it until the words had gone all blurry and a headache had started threatening. Stirring himself he’d dropped the letter on his desk and ripped open the larger brown envelope, the one that held his Navigator’s files. Reading through them realisation had dawned on him as to why they had been paired. Now he just needed to decide wether to take it slow or encourage their bond before the official joining. He had a feeling being hit with the full force of what was inside her head without any preparation could cause some embarrassing effects in full view of the techs.

“It was very generous of you but I won’t need Rodney anymore” He looked up to see her propped against the bathroom door, the wet hair, soft tight jeans and a baggy cropped tee making her look even younger.

“You won’t?”

“A Navigator only needs their Pilot, as long as that Pilot is prepared to put in the time and effort needed”

“I read the instruction manual”

She rolled her eyes at him.

He pursed his lips in thought. She’d obviously been thinking in the shower. “Come sit” He gestured to the bed next to him and watched her unhesitatingly pad over and take a seat, crossing her legs under her, pulling her hair to the side and starting to plait it. Mitchell grabbed her wrist and felt her flinch slightly. “Leave it down”

Anna paused then nodded, dropping the section of hair she’d been holding. He ran his fingers through it, undoing her work. “Do you know why we’re paired Anna? Why you were paired with Sumner?”

She shook her head. “Navi’s aren’t told. Guess it’s based on personality, aptitude or something”

“Partly” He ran the fingers that had been in her hair down her arm. “There’s also DNA, strength of the ATA that kind of thing. And wants, needs, desires”

“Uh..”

“Sumner could give you what you needed and so can I”

“Um..”

“It’s supposed to strengthen the pairing, make us faster, better, stronger”

She opened her mouth then snapped it shut. Then she frowned. “Uh, like one big dating agency?”

He snorted. “Yeah, a little”

“Oh. Well, thats a little creepy”

“Tell me about it. But..” Mitchell leant in and she nearly fell off the bed in her haste to get away. He frowned. “I’ve been reliably informed I’m pretty hot”

“Good for you”

“Anna?”

“What?” She was stood now, sullen looking at the edge of the bed.

Crap. Mitchell changed tactics and stood, the height difference would be an advantage, she only had to be five four in her bare feet. As he stepped towards her she stepped back until his Navi was pressed against the wall between her bathroom and bedroom and he was looking down at her.

 

Anna stared at his black cotton clad chest and tried to gather her thoughts. Shit, he’d obviously taken her little comment about not needing Rodney to mean that she’d be sharing his bed from now on. When she’d spoken to Teyla about the night before Marshall died Anna had discovered that sex, while not mandatory, was pretty much the norm between Pilots and their Navigator’s. It had played a large part in the repeal of DADT, the government recognising that the benefits of a relationship between them far outweighed any half-arsed fuddy duddy ideals. 

She’d been shocked to realise that Marshall had waited on her because she was young and he’d probably recognised her many issues that, had she not been an Empath with tight control over her emotions, could have caused her to self-implode years ago. Sexual or romantic relationships outside of the flight team were not even considered, the bond, and the time and effort placed into it, left no room for another. He’d basically been celibate, keeping his desire under wraps until she was ready. It had made his death even more painful, and her more angry. If he’d told her they could have had a lot longer together.

And now her new Pilot was suggesting that a big factor in who you were paired with was that you’d make a good couple. She snorted to herself. The whole of the SGC had gone insane. And, oh God, Rodney. She hoped whoever he had got would understand, listen, even if they were a bastard. It didn’t matter anyway, she knew the truth, sex didn’t make you better in the air, she’d done it after two years of successful missions and her Pilot had been killed straight after. She licked her lips. She shouldn’t have given in to her weird little desires, should have kept listening to the voice in her head that said it was wrong.

“Princess” His voice was low and soft in her ear. “You didn’t know any of this?”

She shook her head.

“Sumner never told you?”

She swallowed and shook her head again not trusting herself to speak yet. Nothing like a squeaky hamster voice to give away your palm-sweating panic.

“You didn’t do this with him?”

Anna just stared down at his boots. She knew today was gonna suck but rehashing past fuck-ups was not supposed to have been a part of it. She shivered a little as he growled low in her ear.

“Did he hurt you Anna?”

“What?!” Her head snapped up and she winced as it collided with the wall behind her. “No, no, never” You know, until he died and left me all alone with an all consuming feeling of guilt and despair. Her Pilot pulled her forward slightly so his hand could rub gently over where she’d smacked her head into the wall and she clenched her fists against the whimper crawling up her throat. Stupid tlc-loving body.

She tried not to relax into him too much and chewed on her lip, face thankfully hidden from his gaze. This Colonel Mitchell, her Pilot, did seem a little similar to Marshall, he certainly had the whole in-chargey, I’m gonna take care of you thing happening which always got under her skin. But he was more direct and, it appeared, honest. And she was sure he wouldn’t have waited two whole years to get laid.

But of course he wouldn’t be exactly the same as Marshall because she wasn’t the same as she was three years ago. She’d been paired with someone who suited her now, a Navi who’d seen a lot of combat and lost a Pilot. She was a little older, maybe a little wiser, definitely a little more experienced. Anna realised the hand had stopped rubbing the slightly throbbing spot on her head and was now braced against the wall behind her.

His lips skittered up her neck, hot breath ghosting over her ear. “I’ve read the reports Princess, can’t believe you flew together like that without sharing a bed”

Anna tried to ignore the way her skin was heating. “It doesn’t work”

His tongue flicked behind her ear. “What?”

She tried to squirm away as his arm snaked round her waist but his grip just tightened, pulling her in closer which in no way made her think about how hard the chest was that she was pressed up against. “I..we only once..the night before..” God, she was shit at this stuff, and she was a damn Empath. An Empath whose own feelings freaked her out so much they were firmly locked behind a door she’d worked hard to reinforce in her mind.

Her Pilot groaned quietly in her ear and his other hand buried into her hair pulling her in even tighter. “Baby girl, I’m so sorry. But it wasn’t your fault, you faced down some kind of Super-Krill with one Viper, you were lucky to make it back at all. And I’m sorry you didn’t get to feel the bond grow, enjoy your deeper connection”

Anna nodded as best she could in his grasp and felt him sigh. “You having sex didn’t sign his death warrant Anna. If anything it saved you, you used his knowledge to get yourself home”

She shrugged. She still didn’t remember anything between turning her back on the burning Krill and waking up in hospital. “We’ll talk more about this Princess but first…” A light kiss was dropped to the top of her head and her back gently bumped the wall again, his leg sliding between hers, raising her up on tiptoes.

His voice sounded in her ear, all soft southern drawl and low octaves. “I know all about you Anna, I know what it is you need, what it is you want. I know about your Daddy issues, and your lovely little submissive streak. And they chose well when they picked me. I’m gonna take such good care of you baby girl, in the chair and out. You’re so special, such a good girl” 

Anna silently cursed out her stupid traitorous body as it gave a little shiver in response to his last two words, dragged out, lengthened by his suddenly thickening accent. No one had spoken to her like that for a long time and she’d almost forgotten how strong her reactions could be to it. Her hips gave a little involuntary roll and her Pilot hummed in pleasure.

As her Pilots leg released her and she slid back down the wall Anna went to her knees in front of him. With this one she wouldn’t waste any time, deny herself any comfort, pleasure. In three weeks they would be in the sky and it could all be taken from her again. He growled her name as she flicked open his belt buckle and undid his BDU pants, pulling down his boxers and catching the head of his dick in her mouth as it sprang free.

He braced his hands on the wall as she slid her lips halfway down his length and hummed around him. Applying light suction she pulled back, swirling her tongue around the head before sliding back down, taking all of him in this time. “Damn baby girl, so good”

Humming again Anna made sure her lips were tightly closed around him, pushing the flat of her tongue against the underside of his dick and swallowing around his tip. “Fuck, so good” He twitched against her tongue and a little dribble of pre-cum ran down her throat. Tilting her head slightly she released him from her throat and slid her mouth back along him, tongue running gentle swirls over the velvet skin.

She slid up and down and one of his hands bunched up into her hair. “Oh baby girl, so good. So fucking good, so special” Anna moaned around him, partly through her own pleasure, partly ‘cause she knew the vibrations would do wonderful things to her Pilot’s dick. As he grew closer to his climax the grip in her hair tightened and his words washed over her, making her feel warmer than she had done in a whole year. “So good….I’m gonna look after you….it’s all gonna be ok….so fucking special….all mine” When she took him back down and swallowed again her body shook with her own climax as he shot ribbons of cum down her throat.

 

Cameron strolled into the mess and headed towards the food feeling slightly more relaxed than he had this morning when he’d gone to his new Navi’s room and found a half dressed man there. The awesome blow job had definitely helped, her cumming right along with him without a single touch had to be the hottest thing he’d ever seen, but Anna had also seemed to accept their pairing pretty easily despite her obvious lingering guilt over Sumner’s death. 

He had no doubt there’d still be some shit to deal with but that was why he had been chosen for her. To nurture and control were his main kinks and being paired with her would allow him to over-indulge to his hearts content. He also had three weeks before they were joined officially and he already had a good beat on what she needed to work well, and relax.

Snagging a sandwich and a bottle of water he headed over to where his old friend was sat, head bent over some papers, deep in discussion with his Navigator. He dropped into a chair and propped his feet on another.

“Comfy Mitchell?”

He grinned at him. “Yes, thank you. You?”

Sheppard rolled his eyes then smirked at him. “Lost your new friend already?”

Rodney snorted beside him but kept his eyes focused on the files. Cam flipped him off. “She’s training with Teyla”

Sheppard raised a brow. “Really?”

“Really. Apparently Anna is also pretty awesome on the ground too”

Rodney raised his head. “Pretty awesome? She’d have you flat on your back in thirty seconds”

“If I’m lucky”

The Navigator screwed up his face. “Just wrong”

Cam smirked at him and took a bite of sandwich.

Rodney eyed him curiously. “Is she ok today?”

He swallowed his food and raised a brow. “Yes. I’m really not that bad once you get to know me”

“Bullshit”

“Shut up Shep”

Rodney huffed. “I wasn’t talking about you idiot flyboy..”

“Hey!”

“I just thought today would be pretty tough thats all”

“Because of getting a new asshole Pilot?”

Rodney rolled his eyes at his Pilot and then turned on Mitchell. “Partly..” Cam flipped him off. “..but its also..” He waved his hand around. “…you know”

“No, I have no fucking idea what you’re going on about”

“Oh for God’s sake. It’s in her file, didn’t you read it?”

“Just spit it out McKay” Cam was starting to lose his lovely post-blowjob bliss.

“It’s the anniversary today…of his death”

Cam blinked at him. “Really?”

“No, I’m making it up just to piss you off”

Sheppard tapped his Navi’s hand. “That’s enough Rodney”

“Well really, the man’s…”

“Enough” Sheppard raised a brow at his friend. “You didn’t know?”

“No, pretty sure I would have remembered if it was in her file. And she didn’t tell me” He took a gulp of water. “Crap”

“If she didn’t tell you and she seems fine then don’t worry” Sheppard shrugged. “Maybe she just wants to move on, forget about it. Perhaps she requested it not to be in her file? Nothing like people walking on eggshells around you to make things worse”

“Yeah, maybe” Cam peered over at the papers on the table, he’d bring it up later, see what her reaction was. “What you doing?”

John grinned at him. “When I found out first time Navi’s don’t get a look at the Viper’s until the first run I brought down the schematics for Rodney to look over. He thinks he can shave a few seconds off the top speed”

Cam raised a brow. “Really?”

“Yep. And improve manoeuvrability”

“Well fuck me. Just what were you doing stuck out on the front line?”

“Trying to repair Jumpers with some planks of wood and a few nails” Rodney smiled tightly at him. “My CO wouldn’t let me go without a fight, apparently I’m too much of a genius”

“And modest too” John took a sip of coffee. “Who was your CO?”

“Dixon”

John made a little disgusted noise. “Yeah, the man’s a prick”

“So Anna informed him”

Cam grinned. “Really?”

Rodney smirked back. “Yeah, several times. I believe she also questioned his parentage with much frequency”

“She must have spent most of her time in the brig”

“Nope. He may be a prick but he’s not stupid. Landry dotes on her, and O’Neill consider’s her one of his ‘kids’. Along with the other crazies he recruited to the programme”

“O’Neill recruited me”

“And me”

“My point proved exactly”

“Gee thanks” John sprawled back with his coffee. “What are the Jumper’s like?”

“Slower than the Viper’s, mainly due to their size. But their shielding and weaponry are pretty much the same by the looks of it” Rodney waved a hand over the papers. “They’re ideal for rescue and recon because you can fit a couple of teams in them along with supplies etc. That’s why they were moved to the fronts, they’re more useful there than in the city”

“Yeah I guess. Sounds like a couple would come in handy here too though. I mean, Viper’s go down sometimes right?”

Rodney nodded. “Apparently. But from what Anna says if you survive the crash landing you’re pretty much on your own until you can reach a tower or gate, if you even can. Think that’s why Sumner had her train with Teyla, and why she encouraged me to do it as well”

“You train too?” John raised a brow.

“Yep, four times a week. I also have Firearms three times a week with Ronan and run twice a week with Anna” 

Cam watched his friend gape slightly at his Navi. “Well fuck me”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “I have no desire to die at the hands of the Krill or their creepy footmen and this is one of the ways I can prevent that from happening. And also, you know, making sure we don’t get shot down”

“Thanks for the faith Rodney”

Cam snorted. “He’s obviously seen you fly Shep”

“Fuck off, I’m awesome”

“You’re insane”

Rodney sighed. “Great, just fucking great”

The two Pilot’s grinned at each other.

 

“You know, you’re making it very hard to sneak other men in here”

“Very funny Princess” Mitchell swivelled from side to side in her desk chair. “Saw your friend Rodney at lunch”

“Ok” Anna dumped her gym bag on the floor and grabbed a water from her mini fridge. “Oh I meant to ask earlier, who’d he get?”

“What?”

She rolled her eyes and took a gulp. “Pilot, who did he get?”

“Sheppard”

She furrowed her brow. “Oh, the pretty one who thinks he’s awesome”

“Isn’t that me?”

“You’re not pretty”

“Gee thanks”

“Welcome” Anna wrinkled her nose. “Another shower for me I think. Did you need something or am I allowed to be clean first?’

“Your attitude is appalling”

“So is yours”

Her Pilot shot her a look that she’d seen before, mainly on the faces of authority that had passed in and out of her life just before the yelling started. “Why didn’t you tell me it was a year ago today?”

Her water bottle stopped halfway to her mouth. “Uh, it didn’t seem important” Anna took another gulp to hide her sudden onslaught of fresh feelings. She’d been doing so well too, bastard.

“You’re saying today doesn’t mean anything to you?”

“Um, I guess, a little. But its not a big deal. I have other stuff going on, and it was a long time ago”

“So your best friend being in your bed for the past three nights ‘cause of nightmares has nothing to do with it?”

“Are you stalking me?”

He growled quietly and the hairs on the back of her neck raised.

“It’s happened before”

“But not since you’ve been back here Princess, and then all of a sudden three nights in a row?”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“Because you’re important to me, and you didn’t tell me. You were just gonna struggle through the day and hope no one said anything?”

“Not struggling” She pouted.

“Yeah you are” He stayed in his seat but dropped his voice again, trying to hit the tone he’d managed to find earlier that had her opening up to him. “I’m not here to replace him baby girl, I don’t want you to forget him. He was a big part of your life and he was taken away from you. If you want me to leave you in peace until tomorrow I will, if you want to curl up and eat junk and watch a movie you can do that in my arms, if you want sex for comfort I can do that too. Anything you want Anna”

His last sentence rocked her back on her heels a little as the force of the memories ran into her. She tried to blink them away and dropped her walls a little, curious to experience what he was feeling as he said them. Anna had kept them firmly in place this morning, not really wanting to know what a man who she’d gone to her knees for after thirty minutes of conversation actually felt about her.

Her brow rose as concern edged with a little desire nudged it’s way through the crack she’d made, she opened up a little further and her other brow met it’s fellow. The desire was a little stronger now but it was still over-whelmed with his concern, his need to comfort. He also appeared to be a little pissed, she reckoned that was because she hadn’t told him about today, how important it was, and not just because she’d taken a new Pilot.

“Baby girl, you reading me?”

Anna snapped back her connection and looked at him. “No”

“Liar”

“Am not”

Mitchell rolled his eyes. “See anything you don’t like?”

“The self-love and hint of insanity could be a cause for concern”

“You’re hilarious”

“I bet you’re laughing on the inside”

“Really not” Her Pilot stretched his legs out in front of him. “So, you want me to go? Start again tomorrow?”

Anna chewed on her lip. On one hand the idea of shutting herself away for the rest of the day, and possibly getting steadily drunk, sounded quite attractive. However, hangover’s sucked, she’d probably end up radioing her Pilot anyway when she hit the horny stage of pissedness, and she knew after months on the front line that isolating yourself wasn’t the answer. She sighed and shook her head. “I still need to eat”

He nodded, face blank which had her wishing she’d kept a little window open to pick up on his emotions. “Ok Princess, grab your shower then we’ll hit the mess”

“You haven’t eaten?”

“Yep, I’ll just top up my caffeine levels. And watch you”

“Thats a little weird”

 

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard watched his Navi plug one of the tablets that kinda reminded him of iPad’s into their Viper and start muttering to himself, fingers flicking over the screen. John was pretty shit hot at Mathematics and wasn’t stupid, despite the image he projected, but this was way beyond his abilities so he was choosing to sit back and watch a self-proclaimed genius at work. 

He was pretty sure it was a sight he’d definitely enjoy more and more, the slight awkwardness and shyness Rodney had displayed when he’d met him had disappeared once he’d been presented with the blueprints of the Viper’s, and as the work had become more detailed, more complex he’d almost started vibrating with pleasure. As his Navi started mumbling about ‘college drop-out engineers’ and ‘neanderthal mechanics’ John grinned and sprawled back in the chair, following his progress through half-lidded eyes.

 

Rodney froze as warmth pressed up against his back. “How you getting on?” His Pilot’s chin rested on his shoulder as he peered down to the tablet in his hands.

“Um” He cleared his throat. “Uh, nearly done, but we’ll have to run a few thousand simulations first. Unless you want to explode during take-off”

“Are we talking the kind with flames and stuff?”

Rodney pushed back the weird feeling his Pilot was flirting with him. The man was ridiculously hot. “Uh, there’s another kind?”

A chuckle ghosted over his neck. “Yeah”

“Um..”

Then the warmth disappeared long enough for his Pilot to turn him so they were face to face and the back of his knees were hitting the console behind him. He opened his mouth to ask him, well Rodney wasn’t sure what to ask him but this was all getting a little surreal, when soft lips crashed against his and a tongue slid into his mouth. He mumbled an obscenity that was lost in the others mans mouth and tried to find a hand hold to steady himself against the force of the kiss.

But then there was an arm wrapping around his waist and a hand gripping his hair, and a very talented tongue curling around his and Rodney gave up. He lost himself in the sensation of being rather roughly taken by his new Pilot, desperately ignoring the doubting little voice in his head.

The other man moaned quietly and the arm around his waist slid down until it was forcing Rodney’s hips forward, a strong muscled thigh sliding between his legs, a distinct hardness pressing against his own. His Pilot ground forward and Rodney whimpered. Shit, shit, he needed time to think, to breath and to maybe get a handle on the fact that his Pilot seemed to expect Rodney to know what he was doing. There was a little wave of panic and he managed to yank his head away.

Sheppard pouted at him, all blown eyes and wet bruised lips. Rodney swallowed and took a shaky breath. “You..I..can’t do this”

“Why?” And now that voice that had been raising little goosebumps on his skin all morning was even more lazy, huskier.

Rodney’s dick twitched. “Shit, because…”

His Pilot rolled his hips again and smirked at the little whimper. Rodney glared at him. “I, uh…shit”

The other man frowned. “What is it Rodney?”

“I…” Crap, crap. He should have just gone with it, he was a genius for fuck’s sake, he would have been able to figure it out as he went along. But now he’d made the other man suspicious. 

“If I’ve read you wrong Rodney I’m sorry. I wouldn’t force this on you”

“No um, it’s just I haven’t ever uh..” He trailed off. Yeah, real smooth McKay.

“Never?”

Crap. “No”

“But you’re so hot”

“Um, I am?”

His Pilot dipped his head, running a slick stripe up Rodney’s neck. “Yeah, you really are” He murmured. “Just relax baby, I’ll do it all” There was a nip at his earlobe and Rodney jumped a little. Another bruising kiss landed on his mouth but this time a hand was snaking between them gently palming his crotch. Rodney groaned and felt the lips against his give a quick grin before they were once again insistently pushing down. Then sure fingers were tugging on his fly, slipping inside to trail over his dick.

The hot wet mouth slid down to Rodney’s jawline, trailing up to his ear. Porn worthy murmurs of pleasure were being breathed over his skin as his dick was pulled free from his pants and a hand wrapped around it and, oh God, was pressed up against the other man’s dick, held in the same firm grasp. “When..” Rodney gave a little gasp at the first stroke. “..did you undo your pants?”

There was a deep chuckle in his ear. “Be quiet Rodney” The sensations of being dragged up and down against another man’s dick were overwhelming, a trickle of sweat began to run down the small of his back as his skin heated and sparks of pleasure fired up his nerves. As the strokes began to build in speed, pre-cum slicking up and down both of them Rodney moaned at the first signs of his climax. The coiling of his stomach, the tightening of his balls, this was going to be embarrassingly quick. He began to run through the specs of the Viper’s, trying to prolong the pleasure, and not shame himself.

His Pilot’s breathing was ragged in his ear now, the other hand gripping the console behind them. “No cheating baby” The grip tightened. “This is meant to be a quickie. A taster” A tongue flicked into his ear on the next downstroke and the other man let out another quiet moan as his hips began to roll. “Then I’m going to take you back to my quarters so I can fuck you properly”

“Oh crap, oh crap” Rodney felt his legs begin to shake as the first wave of pleasure hit deep inside of him, and this was so much better than his own hand and crappy porn. 

“Hmm” Sheppard sped his stroking up. “Like the sound of that? Cum for me while you’re thinking about me taking you, all spread out and screaming my name”

“Fuck, bastard” Rodney gripped an arm as the next wave hit, and then he couldn’t stop it. It rose up and crashed over him, his muscles tensed and shook as he fought for breath and closed his eyes as the first hot stream left him. 

He was vaguely aware that the other man’s movements had become erratic and then there was a deep low growl in his ear as his stomach was splattered with warm liquid. “Mine”

He blinked back white spots. “Holy fucking shit”

His Pilot huffed into his neck and released his dick. “Finish up baby, I want to see all of you, and soon”

“Shit”

 

Cam rolled his eyes as his Navi played with her food then looked up as Major Lorne slid into a chair, a young good-looking guy taking a seat opposite him, next to Anna. He raised a brow and she shot him a look before turing to the newcomer smiling. “Chuck, its good to see you. Didn’t think you’d be ready”

“That doesn’t sound promising Ev” Cam smirked at his friend as Lorne flipped him off.

“Actually its Chuck’s fourth run Mitchell. He’s just escaped quarantine, was part of the team that went to Palon”

“Huh, how was it?”

Chuck sighed. “Any planet that smells that bad should be instantly destroyed”

“You should ask Jack” Anna waved her fork around. “He loves blowing shit up” 

Chuck snorted. “Yeah, I remember”

“You one of O’Neill’s too?”

“Yep, same training group as Anna, and we flew on the same squadron for a while” He grinned at Evan. “Don’t worry I’m awesome”

Anna snorted. “And still so modest” She prodded her potatoes.

Cam sighed. “Anna will you eat that rather than trying to make a pretty picture with it”

She glared at him. “Not hungry”

“The amount of exercise you’ve done today means you have to eat”

“Stop interfering with my nutritional intake”

The two other men shared a grin.

“We’re not going til you’ve eaten it”

“Bossy”

“Disobedient”

Anna rolled her eyes and turned back to the other Navi. “This is my new Pilot, he’s very annoying”

“Anna!”

Someone snorted and took the chair the other side of her. Rodney grinned. “Driving your Pilot insane already I see”

“I hate to break with tradition” She grinned back. “Where you been?”

“Looking at the Viper’s, think I can make some improvements”

“Really? Like what?” She looked curiously at him.

“The interface with the chairs can certainly be upgraded pretty easily, and there seems to be a slight drag by the left wing that I’m working on” He frowned. “Some kind of weight that throws off the balance”

Cam raised a brow at John who’d sat at the end of the table, keeping close to his Navi. He smirked back at him. Cam flipped him off.

Anna raised a brow. “Very impressive, you picked up on that already?”

“Genius” He matched her brow raise. “You know what it is?”

His Navi nodded at her friend. “Yeah, it’s like a mini ZPM encased in a Trinium/Naquadah alloy. Without it the Viper’s wouldn’t be able to travel such long distances. You can’t get rid of it, but if you balance it out with something on the other side you lose about 0.89 seconds off your top speed”

“Damn” He tapped the table.”Why don’t we just centralise it?”

“Cause at the moment if it blows up you just lose a wing, if its under you you’re totally screwed”

“Bollocks” He huffed. “Back to the heavily complex drawing board”

“You’ll sort it sweetie. Wait til you’ve done a couple of flights, the more you fly the deeper you can get into the systems”

“With my brain?”

“Yes, with your giant brain”

 

Checking her Pilot was still deeply involved in a conversation with Sheppard and Lorne she poked her friend in the side and slipped into Athosian, just in case they suddenly turned their attention back to the Navi’s sat at the table.

“Your Pilot’s hot, any sex on the horizon?”

Rodney flushed slightly and glared at her. “I’d ask you the same but we all know you’re a giant whore”

She stuck her tongue out. “Well?”

“He uh, might have molested me in the Viper”

“Awesome”

“And apparently I’m staying at his tonight”

“You feeing ok hon?” Anna studied him carefully.

Rodney shifted slightly. “I’m a little nervous but the inappropriate touching earlier has taken the edge off”

Anna snorted. “How inappropriate?”

“Not telling”

“Did he touch you down there?”

Chuck choked on his coffee and Anna glared at him. “No drawing attention to our conversation”

“No talking about sex at the dinner table”

“Have you had sex with Lorne?”

Chuck rolled his eyes. “Give me chance, I just left the infirmary”

“See Chuck’s a whore too”

“Hey!” 

She raised a brow at Rodney. “Don’t do anything that weirds you out or makes you feel uncomfortable. And remember your training, if he pushes it just lay him out”

“Yeah, and then call us so we can come take pictures”

“Not helping, either of you”

“And make sure you tell him about you know..” She waved her hand around. “He’s needs to be gentle the first time”

“Oh God”

Chuck leant forward and grinned. “Yeah man, you’ll need some quality prepping time”

“Oh God, shut up the both of you. I wish there was an Athosian word for fuck off”

“Bet Tey does too”

Rodney shot her a look. “What about you? You doing ok today?”

“Fine”

“You sure?”

“Yes Rodney I’m sure”

“Is he giving you time?”

“Time for what?”

“To deal with today idiot, he seems a little pushy”

“He’s a controlling asshole but apparently thats what I go for”

“You are seriously screwed up”

“Thanks, you too”

“Have you uh…?” Rodney gestured with his fork. 

Anna rolled her eyes. “You have to at least be able to say it McKay. And no, but I did treat him to a rather outstanding blow job earlier”

“You have no shame”

“Apparently not…”

“Anna?”

Uh oh. “Yes Cameron” She smiled at him through her lashes.

He glared at her. ”What language is that?”

“Athosian”

Sheppard raised a brow. “You can all speak Athosian?”

“Yep, picked it up at the front. Except for Chuck, he made the effort to learn it on his first run”

Evan looked at his Navi curiously. “Why?”

“We deal a lot with the Athosians, it comes in handy”

“But there are no Athosians here”

Anna eyed her Pilot. “And?”

“And so why do you need to be speaking their language?”

“So you don’t know what I’m saying”

Rodney snorted. “Trust me, you didn’t want to be in on the conversation”

“Prude”

“Whore”

“Anna, cut it out!”

 

Rodney let his thoughts wander to his friend, her new Pilot was indeed a controlling asshole however he also appeared to already care for her, and Anna had always had a way with authority figures, more dominant personality’s. It was like they were drawn to her, and she naturally knew just how to act around them, the right mix of rebellion and compliance. Maybe they were as good a match as the tests had said.

He just hoped that this Mitchell was good enough to read her, see through the witty comebacks and childish naivety she projected. Rodney was pretty sure there was stuff in her past even he had never been told about, stuff so powerful it had moulded her very persona, and the needs that came with it. Perhaps…warm hands slid down his arms and he shivered slightly.

“You with me baby?”

He nodded and swallowed as his Pilot nipped at his neck, warmth pressing up behind him. Hot breath puffed over his ear.

“Just relax Rodney. It’s been a long time since I had someone so totally untouched as you in my bed, I’m gonna take my time, make it good, I promise. This is going to bring me so much pleasure baby, and you” Warm swirls ran over his throat and the other man hummed quietly. Rodney swallowed and licked his lips.

The warmth disappeared from his back. “Strip down to your underwear”

Shedding his clothes Rodney tried to ignore the burning gaze of his Pilot, and how much his body seemed to like having someone watch him strip. As he kicked off his trousers his hand drifted towards his own dick.

“No” His hand stilled an inch away from his body at his Pilot’s voice. “You don’t touch yourself. You have to leave it all to me”

Rodney fought down the little moan and dropped his hands back to his sides, it was going to be long night, thank God they were on downtime. The sounds of undressing reached his ears and then John Sheppard stepped round in front of him, dark eyes glinting slightly in the low light that had been requested of Atlantis, and naked, very naked. Rodney tried to keep his gaze firmly in front him.

Huffing a quiet laugh his Pilot moved in front of him and pressed a kiss to his lips, tongue pushing insistently on his mouth until Rodney got with the programme and opened up. Just as the kiss got passionate enough for him to think the other man had reached the point where he was just going to tackle Rodney onto the bed John stepped back and knelt.

Rodney hissed in a quiet breath as a finger ran over his still covered erection before his boxers were slowly pulled down. He closed his eyes. “So beautiful” A gentle puff of air was blown over him, feeling cool as it hit the small amount of pre-cum forming at his tip. His Pilot hummed and then slipped his lips over the head, tongue lapping up the moisture. There was a weird sound which Rodney figured out he’d made in response to someone taking his dick into their mouth and then slight panic that he might cum right there and then.

But before he could completely embarrass himself his Pilot moved away and stood, grabbing his hand and taking him over to the bed. “On your back baby” Trying to fight down the once again rising panic Rodney attempted to gracefully comply but still felt incredibly awkward against the other man’s obvious ease, and his intense perusal. Sinking his head into the pillow he inhaled quietly and tried to relax.

Then his body was literally covered by his Pilot’s, another hard demanding kiss while the body over his rocked slightly, pressing their dicks together and causing little sparks of friction that made him moan into John’s mouth. Leaving Rodney to pull in long breaths the man slid his mouth down his throat, over his collarbone, until he closed his lips over a nipple, sucking gently while sure fingers rolled and pinched the other. Waiting until they were so hard it was almost painful his Pilot abandoned his chest and ran a slick stripe down to his navel, briefly dipping in before more hot breath hit his dick.

Rodney fisted the sheets in anticipation. Shit, please don’t cum in the first five seconds. A tongue ran over his head and his hips twitched.

“Don’t hold back baby. Want you nice and relaxed” 

Then his dick was swallowed down in one movement and his hips did a full jerk this time. “Shit” 

“Hmm” The vibrations travelled up his length and Rodney moaned quietly, this was so not fair. Strong hands gripped his hips, pinning them to the bed as John slid back off until only the head was sat in his mouth, tongue swirling briefly before he swallowed back down. All thoughts of panic and fear were lost in, if he had anything to compare to, what Rodney believed was the most awesome blow job ever. He whimpered slightly as the familiar feeling washed over him, it was too soon, he never wanted this to end. 

“John stop I…”

But the sucking just became more insistent, and the grip became more bruising and Rodney gasped for breath as he saw stars and came hard down the other mans throat. He slowly released the balled up sheets. “Shit”

“Hmm” His Pilot raised himself back up, going in for another kiss, letting Rodney have a taste of himself. John pulled back and looked thoughtfully down at him. “Now, how to get you nice and hard again?”

“Fuck”

“Hmm, eventually”

Rodney’s dick twitched. Yeah it was gonna be a long night.

 

Anna stretched her legs out and took another gulp of whisky, turning the page of her book. There was some football game on the screen that her Pilot had wanted to watch, apparently he was behind in the season, whatever the hell that meant. He hadn’t said a word when she’d chosen to prop herself against the front of the couch by his foot, rather than sitting on it next to him, and for that she was grateful.

It was kinda nice to be able to do this again but she wasn’t quite ready to curl between his legs like she’d done with Marshall. Topping up her drink she settled back down and turned another page, the pretence of reading letting her mind freely wander without interruption from him. It seemed her habit of gazing off into nothing while she processed thoughts made him curious, and a little uneasy. 

Dinner had been nice, apart from the slight bollocking she’d gotten for the Athosian thing, and Anna had enjoyed talking with Rodney and Chuck. At least her Pilot didn’t seem fussed about her having close friendships with other Navi’s, despite his little reaction to Chuck sitting next to her. It was important to not cut yourself off completely, rely solely on your Pilot for company, things could get scarily intense if you worked like that, and when one of you was lost…. it had been hard enough to deal with Marshall’s sudden death, if she hadn’t had Teyla’s and Ronan’s friendship, and Chuck calling in with treats and the latest gossip, Anna was sure she would never have gotten out of that damn hospital.

Also meeting Rodney’s Pilot had eased her worries about her friends impending deflowering, she grinned to herself, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard was hot, and he’d interacted well with Rodney. She’d briefly reached out, skimmed his emotions, and had been pleasantly surprised at what she’d sensed. Especially the little wave of fondness that he gave out whenever he looked at the other man. She just hoped he was an awesome lay.

She took another sip, another page turn, enjoying the warmth from the alcohol spreading through her chest and swirling around her stomach. Shame it didn’t reach her feet, she frowned, should have put socks on, she had some nice thick wooly ones tucked away in her drawer. They probably would put her Pilot off sex for weeks. The frown turned into a subtle smirk which she hid by taking more of her drink.

“Easy on the whisky baby girl” A finger ran through her hair.

Anna rolled her eyes. A year on the front line drinking with the slightly insane marines that were posted out there meant she could probably drink most people in the city under the table. Except for McKay, the only time she’d gone drink for drink with him he’d had to carry her back to their tent. He was the one who’d got her into whisky, Marshall had only ever provided beer, not wanting them to ever get so inebriated they couldn’t answer an emergency call.

“Anna?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you actually reading that book?”

Damn. “Yes”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Whats it about?”

“Uh” Her eyes flickered down. “Someone called Paul?”

She heard her Pilot sigh. “You don’t have to pretend to be occupied”

“Ok”

He slid off the couch and sat next to her, topping up her glass and then his. “Why?”

“Uh, why what?”

“Why are you pretending to read?”

“Um, I’m thinking”

He raised a brow. “You think I’m so bad I don’t want you to think?”

“No” She shifted. “I just have you know, wandering thoughts, a lot, and you seem to like to know what I’m thinking”

Mitchell swirled his glass. “I don’t need to know everything Princess, just the stuff thats important”

“But I don’t know what you think is important”

“I need to know if you’re worried, or upset, or confused. Apart from that your thoughts are your own, not sure I even want to know half the shit that goes on in your head”

“Hey!” Anna pouted. “I have awesome thoughts”

“And incredibly disturbed ones”

“Do not”

“Yeah you do” He grinned and tipped her head slightly. “So what awesome thoughts were you just having?”

“Um, that dinner was nice, I wished I’d put socks on and that Rodney is lucky he got Sheppard as his first fuck”

Mitchell groaned. “That last thought is inappropriate”

“Why?”

“You know why. And no thinking about it whilst we’re flying, we’ll probably end up embedded in the side of a mountain or something”

“No way, I’m too awesome”

Her Pilot glared at her. “No more thinking about other people having sex, especially Sheppard”

“I’m not sure I can mange that. I mean you must think about it too?”

“Never”

“Liar”

“Pushing it baby girl” He looked down. “Why the socks?”

“Duh, my feet are cold”

He shot her a look then grabbed the glasses and bottle. “Better get them into bed then”

“Just my feet?”

“Shut up”

She was pulled up and dragged into the bedroom. Dumping the drinks on the side table he released her and shoved her towards the bathroom. “Go do whatever the hell it is you do before bed”

“I usually go for a run”

“No running. Jesus how much exercise do you need?”

“A lot”

“Go away”

Rolling her eyes Anna padded into the bathroom and began to wash up before grabbing her toothbrush. She stopped and looked at it. Her Pilot had brought the drinks in with them so maybe she could have another, and mint mixed with whisky was blah. She dropped it back into the holder and peered around the door. “Am I getting more alcohol because if so I’m not brushing my teeth”

Mitchell raised a brow. “Sure, if you want”

“Cool” She strolled back out and moved over to her drawers, rummaging around for a vest and shorts as she heard him disappear into the bathroom, door sliding shut behind him.

Quickly stripping and sliding on her clean nightwear Anna made her way over to the bed, topped up her glass and slipped under the sheets. She wriggled her feet trying to warm them. He stepped out and eyed her. “That was quick”

“I have had plenty of practice”

“Are you always like this?” Mitchell grabbed his own glass and padded round the bed.

“Yep”

“Great”

“Yeah I know”

“Wasn’t meant as a compliment, or praise” He propped himself against the headboard and stretched his legs out. “Feel warmer?”

“Umhmm” Anna wiggled her feet again. “It was so worth bringing all this with me” She may have pulled out some serious pouting to get O’Neill to let her ship over all her new bedding, and a few other home comforts, but it was worth the effort. Her quarters were warm, and homely, and gave her a lot of comfort.

“And who did you talk into letting you do that?”

“Jack, he’s a sucker for sad puppy eyes”

“Thats my General you’re talking about”

“Still a sucker, and a big softie”

“And thank you for another disturbing piece of information”

“Welcome”

He sighed beside her and tugged her in until she was moulded up against his side. “Hmm better. You ok baby girl? Today’s nearly over”

“Told you I was fine”

“And you were lying” 

“Cameron…”

“Anna, I mean it”

She squirmed uncomfortably in his grip then grumbled when she realised she probably wouldn’t escape either his hold or his questioning. “It sucked but it was a year ago, a very busy year too. I’m fine”

“Thats it?”

“Yes” 

He growled quietly and she fought the urge to shiver despite the comforter and his body heat. Anna drained her drink and waggled her glass. “More please”

“No” 

The glass was plucked from her fingers. “Hey!”

“I was hoping the alcohol might loosen your tongue but it appears I underestimated your capacity for twenty year old whisky”

“You know most people get others drunk to get laid”

“Yeah” Her chin was gripped and tugged up so she was face to face with him. “That’s the new plan”

Anna ignored the weird twisty feeling in her stomach. “It is?”

“Hmm, maybe when I’m balls deep in you you’ll be more inclined to answer my questions honestly”

“So romantic” 

Her Pilot glared at her before pulling her into a bruising kiss, the taste of whisky on his tongue as it curled around hers and forcefully claimed every inch of her mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

Anna bit her lip trying to stop the words that were threatening to bubble from her throat. She’d never said them out loud, never. They were wrong and shameful and whenever she thought about letting them spill from her mouth she felt sick, her skin flushing with the inevitable embarrassment. The closest she’d ever gotten had been with Marshall but she would never get to know if he could have forced them to finally leave her lips.

Her Pilot was sprawled over her, engulfing her in his body heat, the hard planes of his chest pressing against her back as he seemed to get impossibly closer. Strong muscular legs had her own caged in, one almost uncomfortably bent beneath her, the other stretched out but pinned to the mattress by his knee. His hands covered hers, removing them from the bed so she was forced to lower her head, turning her face to the side so she could breathe. Bringing both of their arms around Anna’s chest he now had her nearly completely cocooned within his own body.

His breath gently caressed the ear that wasn’t pressed to the pillow. “I know you’re not ready to say it baby girl and I’m not gonna push. But I want you to understand that when you do its gonna feel so good, for both of us. This is what I need too Anna, this is what I crave” She could feel his hard on twitching slightly against the back of her thigh.

Keeping her mouth firmly shut she didn’t even dare nod, didn’t want to meet his gaze for fear of what he might see there, her carefully constructed walls were slowly crumbling despite her best efforts to block her Empath side. The pressure on her leg eased and it was encouraged to bend, bringing it up in line with the other so now his dick was brushing up against her very exposed folds. He rocked his hips gently, giving a quiet moan. Anna could hear him being slicked up by her steadily increasing arousal. “So perfect” He whispered. “Getting so wet for me without a single touch”

Her Pilot was speaking the truth, other than a few demanding kisses and the odd brush of hands against skin as he’d stripped her of her clothes, there’d been no other touch apart from the comforting hold he’d gotten her into. Anna stayed silent and still, she could escape this hold, it was one of the first things Teyla had taught her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. For the second time in twenty-four hours she felt warm and safe, grounded, and Cameron Mitchell was the recurring factor. She arched her back slightly and exposed her neck to him, hoping he’d be able to read her as well like this as he could when they were fully clothed.

He dragged his teeth up her throat and she shivered. His voice dropped lower as his dick appeared to get even harder. “Yeah” He drawled. “I know what you want Princess. I’ve got you” Keeping one of his arms locked around her still trapping both of her own beneath it his other disappeared, then he was pressing into her folds, sliding home with near shameful ease into slick heat. The bed dipped by her head as her Pilot braced his free hand against the mattress. “Feel so good my baby girl” A soft kiss was placed to the back of her neck. A small exploratory thrust, another quiet moan. Anna tightened around him and heard a hiss of breath. “Fuck, gonna be even better than that wonderful mouth of yours”

A few more thrusts, slow but deep, like he was feeling out her insides, finding the places he liked best, or she did. Anna could feel his hips slightly altering their angle on every push in until he found the place that forced a small sound from her throat. He growled low in her ear as she rippled around him and his movements became more forceful, his weight slightly disappearing as he put more of it behind his thrusts. Anna was getting hotter, her skin slick with sweat that slid between them and joined her steadily increasing wetness, smearing over both their thighs.

There was another well directed thrust and she made a quiet choking sound which she was sure would have been embarrassingly loud had the arm that was wrapped around her not now been locked tight across her chest. Moaning her name her Pilot starting hitting harder and deeper, the hand by her head fisting the sheets. Now he was stroking that secret spot every time he sank into her and Anna’s sight was beginning to blur, her muscles screaming that she needed to not be in this position any longer but overriding all that was the wonderful and addictive feeling of climbing, her body reaching out, grasping at orgasm.

His breaths grew more ragged, small sounds of pleasure interspersing the words of praise, and awe, and devotion. Her thighs instinctively tightened, hips trying to roll in their prison. Teeth grazed the sensitive juncture between her neck and shoulder, his laboured breathing moistening her already slick skin. “So good…so perfect…I’ve got you….let go for me…that’s my good girl..” Anna squeezed her eyes shut tight.

_The door opened and she looked up into kind blue eyes that crinkled at the corners. “Hello Anna, I’m Marshall, your Pilot” A hand was extended and she blinked at it before slowly reaching out._

A few more bricks toppled and her legs began to shake.

_“You did well today Anna” He smiled at her. “You saved my life, my very own guardian angel” A finger ran through her hair and she held her breath, letting it out slowly as he turned away. Watching him speak with Jack she forced down her feelings, it wasn’t like that. They weren’t like that._

She whimpered quietly at the rising strength of his thrusts, the rushing of the memories. “Yes baby girl, come on, for me”

_She tried to stop her hands from shaking as the techs helped her from the Viper. Leaning against it’s cool surface as the questions washed over her she pulled in deep breaths, trying to stop herself from vomiting all over the floor. Then her Pilots voice cut through theirs, demanding they step back, leave her alone. She was steered from the landing dock towards his quarter’s, the warm hand on the small of her back keeping her from spiralling away._

The arm encircling her chest grew impossibly tighter, another sliding around her waist, strong fingers gripping her hips. Anna was taking even more of her Pilot’s weight, his hips now grinding into her’s rather than thrusting. He moaned quietly. “My baby girl, all mine”

_She knew her Pilot was watching her, ever since their close call he’d been worried, she could pick it up even through the blocks she’d put up against him. She forced another mouthful of dinner in and chewed slowly, putting off swallowing it. Everything made her feel sick at the moment. There was a quiet sigh and her plate disappeared to be replaced by a slice of blueberry pie. Looking up through her lashes at him he rolled his eyes back and waved at her to eat before turning back to his conversation with Steven. Anna smiled slightly and stabbed her fork into the thick sweet pastry._

The fingers slipped from her hip, hand running down over her skin, seeking out her clit, firm, slow circles. “I’ve got you Anna, let it come, I won’t let go” She could feel her throat tightening. She didn’t want to see this again. She screamed in her head. ‘Don’t make me!’

_Anna felt her fingers curl into arms of her chair, the gel filled control pads nearly bursting under the pressure. This was impossible, the Krill that was being displayed for her shouldn’t even be able to stay in the sky. “Deep breath my Angel” His voice stroked over her mind. “We can do this, you can do this. I believe in you Anna” Swallowing she reached out to briefly brush over his mind in affirmation then turned to her tasks._

_A few minutes later the apprehension rose, her stomach rolled. “We have to leave"_

_“Two more minutes Angel, we need this data”_

_The screen warned her that they’d been spotted. The Krill was targeting weapons. “It’s targeting”_

_“Nearly done, keep us moving Anna”_

_There was bile in her throat, foul tasting. “Please, Marshall..”_

_“You’re doing so well Angel”_

_“We have to leave” She whispered._

_“Download complete in one minute…fifty-five seconds….fifty…”_

“It’s ok baby, I’m here” Her Pilot nuzzled into her neck, teeth gently scraping.

_Anna stopped screaming. In the deafening silence of her mind she could feel the hate building. It spread through her body, setting her nerves on fire. As it gathered in her chest, coiled itself into a hot white fiery ball she sank herself deeper into the machine. He’d said he trusted her, they were partners but he hadn’t listened. She hated him most of all. For betraying her, for leaving her. She felt his warm blood run down her face, seep into her flight suit. “Viper One this is Viper Three, do you read?” Opening her eyes and focusing on his empty ones she urged the battered Viper closer. “Viper One, Sumner, Anna? Do you read me?” He wanted the damn data, well she’d get it. “Get out of here, you’re not flight worthy. Viper One? You have to leave now!” Shutting off the com Anna plunged into the Krill’s systems. They would pay. All of them._

They were still now, her Pilots weight pinning her down, anchoring her within the swirl of emotions and the onslaught of images.

_The Krill bowed under the pressure of her mind, slowly disintegrating as she ripped it apart from the inside. The other Viper’s backed off, disappearing into the sky as they escaped the blast zone. She watched the flames roll over the small windscreen, her craft bringing up shields without her order. Staring at the wreckage as it floated aimlessly Anna thought about her choices then turned the Viper and gave it a vague order to head back to the city before burying her mind back into the systems. Her only escape from the sight of the man before her. The man who had been her everything, who she loved with all her heart and whose final act had been to betray her._

She struggled to breath through her climax, the physical bliss of release mingling with the searing pain of remembering. As her body shook under her Pilot a tear escaped her eyes despite her lids still being screwed shut.

 

Rodney may be a virgin but he’d read and watched enough porn to come to the slightly horrifying realisation that he was a true bottom. And when the nerves had dissipated from his first time in bed with another man he was also pretty sure he was going to a pushy one too. His hips canted up as he tried to push himself further into his Pilots mouth and the other mans deep chuckle vibrated beautifully around his dick.

He moaned quietly when an arm was placed over his hips keeping them pinned to the bed, John Sheppard was some kind of erotic torturer, with ridiculous stamina. There was a faint click and he snapped his eyes open, shivering slightly as cool liquid dribbled down his balls and was massaged over the outside of his prostate. His fingers scrabbled at the sheets as he felt himself swell even more, skin heating at the gentle suction around his dick and the slow firm circles between his legs. He licked the sweat from above his top lip.

As he slid out from his Pilots mouth he a gave a low growl of dissatisfaction at the loss of warmth and wetness. “Open your eyes baby” John’s voice was soft but there was the faintest hint of amusement. Cracking open one eye he frowned at his Pilots slightly smiling face hovering above him and opened the other one. A chaste kiss was pressed to his lips. “You have the choice Rodney, we can stay like this or you can turn over. But it may be more uncomfortable how we are for your first time”

He gazed down their bodies, John was propped on his elbows, hips nestled snugly between Rodney’s legs, their dicks occasionally brushing as one of them took a breath. He tried to picture them the other way around, himself on his knees, his Pilot spread out over his back, or kneeling himself, those wonderfully talented hands gripping Rodney’s hips, pushing in deep. Rodney blinked the images away before they could shove him even closer to climaxing.

“Or we can stop right here baby, it doesn’t matter”

He refocused on his Pilot, concerned hazel eyes gazing down at him. Rodney shook his head. “Like this”

John licked his lips. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. Rodney couldn’t imagine being any more relaxed than he was right now and there appeared to be an entire bottle of lube currently running between his legs. His Pilot had definitely made sure he was as ready as he could be.

“You have to say it”

“Why?”

Another quick kiss. “Because I don’t want to start worrying I misinterpreted anything later on”

He tried not to laugh. How anyone could misinterpret the way Rodney was laid out right about now was impossible to imagine, but it was a sweet thought. He nodded again. “I’m sure. Please fuck me like this”

John moaned quietly. “You have a dirty mouth for a virgin”

Rodney rolled his eyes at him and wiggled a little. “Yeah, yeah” Muttered his Pilot and slid back down his body. There was another kiss but this time placed lightly to the tip of his dick. “If it’s too much tell me to stop”

He licked his lips in anticipation, and a little nervousness, and nodded again.

“Rodney?”

“I will”

As the slow circling resumed over his prostate the head of his dick was engulfed again by his Pilots mouth, light suction and gentle licks, not enough to force him to cum but allowing Rodney to focus on something other than what else was happening. Adding a little pleasure to what was going to be, a least at first, a little uncomfortable. Moving his thumb to keep up the massage below his balls his Pilot slipped a finger lower, circling Rodney’s entrance before the tip of it dipped in. He felt himself clench a little and the sucking on his dick got a little harder in response, this was going to take all night if he couldn’t reassure his Pilot.

Taking a quiet breath he forced his muscles to relax, probably only opening himself up another couple of millimetres but it seemed to be enough for John to feel easier about sliding his finger deeper inside. Rodney felt his own breath hitch at the intrusion and the sudden wonder of how exactly he was going to fit anything more than a finger up there. Then it curled and brushed over his prostate. And if the massaging on the outside had been lovely then from the inside the contact was exquisite. He bunched the sheets up in his hands again. “Shit” He muttered.

There was a long low hum over his dick which was completely unfair, and also momentarily distracted him from the second finger nudging in alongside it’s fellow. Rodney squeezed his eyes shut trying to focus on the mouth on his dick instead of the stretched, tight feeling of his arse. Then there was another gentle wiggle, more sparks of pleasure firing up his insides. He moaned quietly. There was a slow twist, a gentle stretch and Rodney whimpered quietly, grateful his Pilot was all for taking it slowly, and knew what the hell he was doing.

The suction disappeared from his dick. “How you doing baby?”

Really, his Pilot expected him to form coherent words now! He swallowed, trying to lubricate his dry throat. “Fine, don’t stop”

A soft kiss was placed on his stomach. “Not going to” Another brush over his prostate and he clenched and released around the fingers in his arse, groaning quietly. “Thats it Rodney, just explore how it feels. Take your time”

And Rodney’s body couldn’t be taking that much offence to the alien intrusion because his dick was still rock hard, and twitching over his stomach, leaving a little trail of pre-cum through the fine hairs scattered there. He took another breath, relaxed his muscles further, hearing his Pilot moan from somewhere further down the bed. “Doing so well baby” He whispered, and slid home a third finger.

Rodney felt his body jump slightly and an arm was once again placed over his hips keeping him still, and probably from painfully tearing himself free of the fingers now curled inside him. “Just breathe” Then his Pilots mouth was otherwise occupied with sucking him off again and the three fingers were relentlessly making contact with his prostate. Rodney groaned and tried to squirm around, not sure if he wanted to get away or force himself further onto his Pilot’s hand. The fingers finally stilled, halting their sweet torture on his arse and he let out a breath, he was covered in a fine sheen of sweat that was mingling with the now warm lube and mixed in with his Pilot’s saliva. It should have felt gross but Rodney just felt extremely turned on, and a little whoreish. He licked his lips, enjoying the feeling.

Then John was carefully twisting again, small scissoring movements designed to open him up as much as possible. He felt himself tremble against the mattress, hands forming fists and releasing on every twist of fingers. Feeling himself slip from his Pilot’s mouth once more he opened his eyes, heavy-lidded, and sight a little blurred, watching as the other man slid back up his body, hand still buried between Rodney’s legs. Soft lips pressed against his and he instantly opened up, tasting himself on the tongue that hungrily explored every inch of his mouth.

Sliding his hands into John’s hair he was rewarded with a moan, and the fingers pushed deeper into his arse. Lost in the kiss Rodney parted his legs further, trying to give the man currently fucking into his mouth with his tongue as much room as he wanted. His Pilot moaned again and pulled back, blinking down at him, licking his lips. He ran his hands over John’s shoulders, down his arms, at least the man now had the good grace to look as turned on as Rodney felt. The hazel of his eyes was nearly gone, pupils so blown the iris’ had almost disappeared, lips swollen and wet from the efforts on Rodney’s dick and the bruising kiss they’d just shared. His breaths were heavier and Rodney could feel the hard on twitching against his leg.

He licked his lips again. “”Ready baby? I’ve done all I can”

“Yes” Rodney nodded and ran a hand through his Pilots hair again, which the other man must have a thing for because he let out another quiet groan. “Thank you”

John smiled lazily. “My pleasure baby” Sitting back on his heels he gently removed his fingers and reached for the lube again, slicking himself up as his eyes got impossibly darker, never leaving Rodney’s gaze. He stared back at his Pilot, eyes occasionally flitting down to watch the other man stroke over himself, wanting to reach out and touch but not sure if he should.

But then it seemed too late as his legs were encouraged to bend even more, John’s thighs nudging under his, lifting him further. A hand was planted next to his head as his Pilot lowered himself slowly over him, the movement somehow forcing Rodney’s knees up further and he softly moaned as the first brush of the other man’s dick ghosted between his cheeks.

“If you say stop I will stop baby”

He nodded, looking up at him. “Ok”

His Pilot puffed out a little breath at the first gentle push and Rodney watched with fascination at the range of emotions that flickered over the face above his. This was what he’d never gotten to have before, never been able to see, the way people opened up during sex, the way their faces and eyes laid their feelings bare. Trying not to shift away from the discomfort of the slow intrusion of his arse by something that was definitely a lot bigger than three fingers Rodney drank in the sight of everything falling away to reveal John Sheppard. Not the Pilot, not the flyboy or the Air Force Colonel, but the man.

 

The next day. Anna strained her ears, something had woken her up even earlier than her body clock usually did, she frowned, trying to block out the sound of her Pilots steady breathing that was very close to her ear. There was a quiet beep and a little flash of red, she rolled her eyes, it was her radio. Carefully dislodging the arm that was slung over her waist she wiggled to the side of the bed, fingers feeling around the space the light had come from on her bedside. It beeped again and she curled her fingers around the small earpiece. As she placed it in her ear the arm returned, pulling her back towards the middle of the bed.

“Where you going Princess?” His voice was slightly slurred, gravelly, sleep heavy. Kinda cute.

She gave herself a metaphorical slap for using the word cute, even if it was only in her head, and squirmed in his grasp. “Nowhere, its my radio”

“Who?”

“I don’t know Cameron, I haven’t answered it yet and someone keeps asking annoying questions”

There was another beep and she heard her Pilot sigh before feeling him roll onto his back, his hold disappearing. “Tell them to bugger off”

“That’d be rude”

“Answer the damn radio Anna before I throw it out the window”

“You wake up grumpy” She grinned at the retributory pinch to her side and pressed the earpiece. “Rayne”

“Anna” The voice on the other end was quiet but she detected the slight hint of panic.

She slipped into Athosian, their Pilot’s were friends after all and she didn’t want to reveal Rodney’s business to the man currently laying behind her. “Sweetie whats wrong?”

“Um, he’s uh, God I feel so stupid”

“What has he done hon? You need me there?”

“No, no..I. This is ridiculous but I..”

“Hey its ok, just breath ok? Whats up?”

“Um, well I woke up, and he’s uh, he’s not here”

“Your Pilot?”

“Yes” He was barely whispering now.

“Oh” Anna blinked in the semi-darkness of the bedroom. “Didnt you go back to his?"

"What? Oh, um, no. He changed his mind, said he wanted me to feel comfortabe"

"Oh" She smiled slightly. "That does not sound like a man who would do a runner hon"

"Or someone who'd be able to if he needed"

She rolled her eyes. "I expect he’s gone to get food or something..”

“No, all his stuff is gone. He’s just, he’s left. I’m so stupid”

“He’s your Pilot sweetie, he won’t just leave. I promise”

“But maybe he’s changed his mind or something. Maybe I wasn’t…good”

“Oh hon” She sighed. “If we ever get back to Earth I’m hunting down that asshole and killing him” Silence met her from the other end. “I’m coming honey”

Clicking off her radio she swung her legs out of bed, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. They still felt a little sore from the shameful crying last night and her body was drained, wrung out. If this was what confronting and working through your grief felt like she’d rather choose the good old tried and tested formula called ‘bottling it all up’ over it anytime. The bed shifted under her and a soft kiss was placed on her shoulder. “Everything ok Princess?”

“Um, yeah. I’m just gonna go and see Rodney”

“Now?”

“Uh huh, we quite often have coffee together in the morning”

“At 0600?” He slipped his arm back round her waist, pushing her hair to the side so he could nuzzle into her neck. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing”

“Liar” He released her. “Ok, go do your thing, try not to break Sheppard”

“Spoil all my fun” She muttered as she heaved herself off the bed and headed to the door.

“Uh, Anna?”

“Yeah?” She turned and blinked at him.

“Not to be bossy or anything baby but would you mind putting some clothes on first?” He grinned at her from the bed, her lovely warm, comfy bed. She fought the urge to get back in it and looked down at herself.

“Oh, right. Shit”

He huffed a quiet laugh as she flipped him off on the way to her bathroom. “Back to bed for you when you’ve done damage control”

Sticking her tongue out at him as the door slid shut between them Anna grabbed the sweats and tee she kept in here as sometime pyjamas, they weren’t ideal but at least she wasn’t naked anymore. Splashing some water over her face she raised her head and glared at the tired refection in front of her before reaching for her face cream, rubbing it in furiously until there was a small amount of colour on her cheeks. Literally showing her teeth the toothbrush and quickly rinsing her mouth she stepped back out and made her way over to the sock drawer.

“Princess, you wearing any underwear?”

“Nope”

“Really?”

“No one will notice”

“I’ve noticed”

Anna yanked on her last sock, hopping around on one foot so she could roll her eyes at him. “Not everyone is as perverted as you”

“Yeah, they really are baby girl”

 

Ten minutes after doing a runner before Cameron decided to get out of bed and attempt to physically force her into a bra, which she bet he’d never had the urge to do to a woman before, she was sat on her friends bed, back resting against the headboard and sipping her first coffee of the day. “Have you tried radioing him Rodney?”

“No” He snorted. “Way to look desperate”

“He’s your Pilot and you want to check where he is. Nothing desperate about it”

“Bullshit”

Anna rolled her eyes at him as he joined her on the bed, mug in hand. “I’m just saying this could all be resolved with a little communication”

“He could have stayed and communicated. Maybe he doesn’t know how to tell me”

“Um, tell you what?”

“That I’m not, you know”

“Oh shut up you idiot” Anna poked him. “What was last night like?”

“Not telling you”

“Oh come on, I’ll tell you mine if you want”

“Euw, no thank you”

She grinned. “So?”

“It was..nice”

“Nice?”

“Um yes, nice. And maybe a little terrifying but definitely nice”

“You suck”

He stuck his tongue out.

“Was there any sucking?”

“Oh my God! Find some boundaries”

“What, and spoil all my fun?” Anna drained her coffee.

“Your fun is only fun for you” Rodney peered at her. “You look like shit”

“Gee thanks” Anna rolled her eyes. “And someone disturbed my beauty sleep, and was in too much of a panic to allow me to slap some make-up on”

“You hardly ever wear make-up, don’t usually need it. You’re disgustingly youthful and healthy looking”

“I am awesome”

“But you look about eighty this morning”

She glared at him. “Revenge will be mine”

He grinned then looked serious. “Why do you look like shit?”

Anna shrugged, everything was still a little raw and she didn’t want to have another meltdown so soon after the last one. “Just didn’t get much sleep” She attempted a smirk.

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t try and make this about sex Rayne” He poked her. “Spill”

“It’s nothing Rodney. Yesterday was just a little long thats all” She smiled at her friend. “But thank you for noticing”

“Yeah, yeah” He waved a hand. “Did he upset you?”

“Who?”

“Your Pilot idiot, the pushy asshole you’ve been paired up with”

Anna stuck her tongue out. “No, he didn’t upset me, and he’s not that bad”

“Do I detect a hint of defending one Colonel Cameron Mitchell?”

She flipped him off. “I know you think he’s a bit of a bastard hon, and well, sometimes he is. But he cares, and he..uh, well, he got me through yesterday”

Rodney grinned at her. “You actually like him”

Anna scowled at him. “Can we please get back to your abandonment issues?”

“But your issues are so much more interesting”

“Rodney..”

He held his hands up in mock surrender before tugging her into his side, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Ok, ok. Just, tell me that you’re ok, or are going to be ok? Did you dream about Sumner again?”

She took a breath, her traumatising flashbacks probably didn’t count as actual dreams. “I’m ok, going to be better than ok after some more sleep. And no, I didn’t”

“Really?”

“Really. Think my brain shut down after all the..” They looked up as the door slid open and her friends Pilot strolled in. He stopped and stared at the bed. Anna ran her eyes over him. “Oooh, nothing like a man after a run”

“Uh?”

“Anna, cut it out” Rodney pulled away and glared at her.

“Thats where you’ve been right?” She grinned at the slightly gaping Pilot, gesturing to his pants and vest that were stuck to his body with sweat. “For a run?”

“Um, yes” He raised a brow. “And you’re here..?”

“Oh, we quite often have coffee together in the mornings. After today maybe a bit more often” She winked at Sheppard. “Very nice”

He folded his arms across his chest and raised a brow. “And does your Pilot know you’re here?”

“Yep”

“Bullshit”

“Nope”

“Does he know you’re here in your nightwear?”

“Yep” She grinned at him. “I left before the yelling started”

Sheppard grinned back. “You’re gonna drive him insane aren’t you?”

“Umhmm” Anna slid off the bed. “And speaking of which I’d better head back. Let you shower and stuff” She smirked at Rodney and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “See you at lunch hon” Going to slip past the other man she went on tiptoes to bestow a kiss on him as well. “A little tip, leave a note next time” Winking she made a run for it before Rodney found a way to make her dead with the power of his mind.

John settled his gaze on his Navi once he’d recovered from the presence that was Anna Rayne. Rodney was flicking through his tablet, head bent low, coffee grasped in one hand. He licked his lips thoughtfully then moved to the foot of the bed, crawling up and removing the two obstacles that his Navi was using to protect himself. He dumped them on the bedside and grinned at Rodney’s glare. “Morning baby” He pressed his lips briefly against the other mans. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you”

“Um, what?”

He rolled his eyes then nuzzled into Rodney’s neck, the man still smelt faintly of them. “I like to go for a run early before it gets too busy. And you looked so peaceful” His Navi squirmed slightly. “Want me to wake you next time?”

There was a brief moment of silence. “How early?”

John grinned against his skin. “Sunrise, maybe just before”

“Don’t ever wake me”

He snorted. “Noted” Pulling back he raised a brow. “Do I have coffee?”

“I will make you coffee if you shower” Rodney pulled a face. “Too sweaty”

“Anna seemed to appreciate it”

“Yeah, well, she’s disturbed”

John smiled at him. “Aren’t we all?”

“No, just her. Maybe you”

“Definitely Mitchell”

“Uh huh” His Navi shoved at his chest. “Now, go away, get clean”

John rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah” He stole a slightly less chaste kiss, Rodney tasted like coffee and..him. He hummed quietly. “How about you come help me with the hard to reach places?’

“Um..” His Navi’s eyes flickered away from John’s face.

“Then I’ll make us both coffee” He nipped at his lower lip. “Come on, I’ll do yours if you do mine” Rodney made a weird little noise and then looked slightly mortified. John grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes”

 

Twenty minutes after she left Cameron sat up, running a hand through his hair and grimacing at the tugging on his body hair from the dried cum that he hadn’t bothered to shower off. Apparently he wouldn’t be achieving any more sleep until his Navi returned and he needed it badly, from the looks of Anna this morning so did she. When he’d finally managed to pull a few of his brain cells together last night he’d gently slipped out of her, rolling to the side and taking her with him.

Anna hadn’t said anything but she’d remained in his arms without a sign of protest, silently pressing her face into him as he felt the hot tears run down his chest. He’d stayed quiet, letting her grieve in private, keeping her close until the breathing became more regular and the shaking stopped. Cam had lain awake for a while as she slept on, the longer he spent in his Navi’s company the more convinced he was that the tests were right with their pairing but he couldn’t shake the worry that he wouldn’t be able to get her through this.

And if Anna couldn’t move past Sumner’s death they could well be grounded for the foreseeable future, the techs would have already picked up on it through her tests but they’d be hoping that Cameron would be able to make serious headway with the problem. It was too big a risk to have either an unstable Pilot or Navigator take to the sky, even more so when forced to engage in battle. Pushing away those thoughts for now he ran his eyes over her bedroom properly for the first time, offering up a prayer of thanks when he spotted the small makeshift drinks station, and a very nice new coffee maker. He guessed he should be grateful his General was a sucker for sad puppy eyes.

Throwing back the covers he reached for the sweats he had worn last night and pulled them on, ignoring his discomfort for now. Coffee first, then shower. With any luck his Navi should be back from McKay’s by then and they could share water. Padding into the living area to dig out some mugs he briefly debated radioing Sheppard to find out exactly what the problem was but quickly decided against it, for one his friend would probably not be too happy with the interference and he didn’t want Anna to feel like he didn’t trust her. That was going to be an important part of their pairing and Cam was hoping he’d already managed to build some between them, he didn’t want to have to start from the beginning again.

Putting the bed back together as the coffee was dripping through, filling the room with an aroma that made his mouth water a little, Cam frowned as the door chimed. After momentarily hesitating opening it to someone who was probably here to see Anna he sent the silent order. He straightened as the visitor stepped through into her quarters, peering into the bedroom.

“Uh, good morning Sir” His hand was half-raised in an undecided salute. There was a gesture to signal not to bother with it.

“Mitchell” General Landry made a quick sweep of the room. “Sorry to disturb you, Anna here?”

“Um, no. Sorry Sir. She’s with Dr McKay” Cam waved a mug questioningly and he got an answering nod.

“Please Mitchell” He moved further into the room and took a seat on the corner of the bed. “Was hoping to catch up with Miss Rayne yesterday but I’m afraid the day the new pairings are announced is quite often a little chaotic”

He handed his CO a coffee and propped himself against the wall, if there was to be no saluting he guessed he didn’t have to stand to attention whilst drinking his morning coffee. “Chaotic?”

“For ten happy pairings theres always one that has a meltdown”

Cam grinned behind his mug. “And despite explicit instructions theres always someone who insists on forming a relationship before they get their results”

He raised a brow. “Really?”

Landry sighed. “Really. Nothing makes you feel like a complete asshole more than breaking it to some poor lovestruck Pilot or Navi that they need to ditch their partner”

“I didn’t think the rules were that iron clad..uh, Sir”

His General rolled his eyes. “Drop the Sir Mitchell, we’re having coffee, not on parade”

“Right, sorry S..” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, its kinda ingrained”

Landry snorted. “Give it a few months Colonel” He took a sip of his drink. “And yes, once the initial procedure is done with and you’ve flown together a few times an outside relationship is perfectly within either party’s right. Rare to find one that works though. The bond takes a lot of time and effort”

Cam nodded. “So I’ve heard”

He was eyed curiously. “How are you getting on Mitchell? You’re here and still breathing with no important body parts missing so I’m guessing ok?”

He huffed a quiet laugh “Yeah, ok. I think the tests did a pretty good job”

“You doubted?”

“Maybe, at first” He took a thoughtful gulp of his coffee. “Um, is Anna, well, the way she was before?”

A brow was raised. “Before Marshall?”

He hoped he wasn’t crossing some kind of morale line. “Yes, if you don’t mind Sir”

Landry ran a hand over his face. “From what I’ve seen, pretty much. Older of course, a bit wiser, more confident, although she always was one for pushing her luck with authority. Maybe a little haunted, but then everyone who has seen battle has that air about them” He sat back further and looked at Cam. “Don’t try to be Sumner, you’re not, and she’s not the Anna Rayne that was paired with him”

Cam nodded again and chewed his lip. “She’s come a long way Mitchell, from that hospital bed and since she walked through the gate swearing not to ever come back”

“Why did she come back?”

“You’ll have to ask her, she says it was because she had to get McKay away from the front lines and into a Viper but..” Landry shrugged. “She probably could have done that without the promise of her own return. I swear O’Neill would find a way to give her the sun if she asked”

Cam grinned before draining his coffee. He was going to need at least one more of those but best not to display a heavy caffeine addiction in front of his CO, relaxed conversation or not. “I’ve read the reports but they were pretty light on the details once she got back..” He trailed off not quite sure what he was asking but his General seemed to get it.

“Nice to see you taking an interest, too many Pilot’s focus on the now, the way their own lives are changed after the joining” He waved his mug at Mitchell. “Do you mind? Keep meaning to cut back but the world seems to be conspiring against me getting a full nights sleep”

He snorted. “Sure. Gives me an excuse for more too” Taking the mug from him he turned back to the coffee pot. He heard the bed shift slightly.

“Theres not much in the files because Anna never officially debriefed. She was in no condition to on her return and after so long in the infirmary we thought it best to just let her go, not do anything that could push back her recovery. I was there when they pulled her from the Viper. It was fucked, I remember thinking there was no way in hell either of them could still be alive in that thing”

“The engineers worked on removing Anna first, Sumner had to be cut free. Eventually they had to shut the whole system down because she’d sunk herself so deeply into the craft. She was covered in Marshall’s blood but the scariest thing were her eyes. It was like she couldn’t see us, wasn’t really there. They were worried they’d somehow left her mind behind, that she was still floating about in the Viper somewhere, and a few minutes later she fell unconscious”

Cam turned and offered the second coffee to his General, hand impressively steady considering what he was hearing.

“When Anna woke it was clear that wasn’t the case but she still didn’t speak for some time. She’d just watch you as you talked to her, eyes following you around the room. I won’t lie, it freaked me the fuck out. Once her physical injuries had been treated she was moved to the Empath Wing of the Infirmary but after the first couple of days the CMO admitted defeat, neither her nor any of her staff could punch through the walls Anna seemed to have been working on since she’d woken up. They just let her be, allowed her friends to visit as often as they liked, played movies, music, anything”

“I give a hell of a lot of credit to those people, Teyla, Ronan, Chuck, even Caldwell called in when he could. They never made a big fuss, never gave up, just kept talking, or sitting with her reading, playing cards. Then one day I walk into the room and she’s laughing at something Chuck had said and I think thats it, we’ve got our Navi back but then..” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “..she says she wants to leave, go to Athos. That she can’t fly again, she’d be too much of a risk. With her Empath side, which is unusual in Navi’s anyway, it could be too intense, could lead to a bad accident”

“I spoke to Jack and he gave the go ahead. Then nearly a year later she strolls back into my gate room along with Dr McKay and says she’s ready, if we’ll have her back. Gotta give Rodney a nod too, I think he did a lot for her out there.” Cam was studied for a minute. “Remember not to cut her off from her friends, and make sure you tell your own friends too. Navi’s and Pilot’s need people to go to who aren’t each other, especially if their partner is lost”

He nodded, still processing. “Right, shit”

Landry huffed a quiet laugh and stood. “Told you ‘cause you need to know but don’t dwell on it Mitchell. Its in the past, and Anna is doing a good job of moving forward. If she continues like she is you’re gonna make one hell of a flight team, an impressive squadron along with Sheppard and Lorne”

Cam nodded again. “Right. Uh, thank you Sir”

“Please let Anna know I was looking for her, maybe she’ll deign to visit me later if her fancy takes it” Cam snorted quietly as the General placed his mug on the drinks station. “You’re the last piece of the puzzle Mitchell, do what you do, let Anna do what she does, it’ll work. The tests are never wrong”

Landry moved towards the door, shooting a grin over his shoulder as he left. “And I hear you were already quite appreciative of her assets before the pairing”

The door slid shut and Cam blinked at it then rolled his eyes. “Fucking Caldwell”

 

Anna paused where the corridor split off towards her quarter’s, the other way towards the mess. She sniffed and her stomach grumbled appreciatively. Checking her watch she grinned, it was still early and there was bacon. Jogging off in the opposite direction to her living accommodation the wonderful smell got stronger and stronger until she turned into the mess and it practically assaulted her senses. She felt her mouth water up a little bit. Strolling over to the counter she smiled at the man behind it. “Good morning Len”

The Head Cook had been on Atlantis since the beginning, had raised a family of his own in a war zone whilst catering for an entire military base, and he was loved as much as he was feared. “Miss Rayne” He grinned at her. “Did the smell wake you?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I happened to be in the vicinity”

“Ah, and how much are you stealing before the rush?”

Anna licked her lips and rocked back on her heels. “Um, enough for two, actually make it three. He is no way stealing any of mine”

“I’ve heard you can become quite violent when your bacon is threatened” Another grin as Lenny began to plate up for two. “Anything else Anna?”

“Um” She ran her eyes over the food. “Maybe some eggs, ooh and hash browns, my favourite” She eyed him. “Is there fry-ups because we’re facing impending death or something?”

He snorted. “No, but we like to offer some comfort the day after the announcements”

“Don’t ever leave us”

He held his hand up. “I swear” A brow was raised. “Mushrooms?”

“I love you”

“I know, unfortunately I can never return that love”

“Its a cruel world” She smiled at him as he placed the two plates on the top of the counter. “Thanks Len, just what I needed”

“No problem” He leant over the counter and she bent her head as he mock whispered in her ear. “There’s apple pie for lunch”

Anna moaned quietly. “Have you seen the size of the flight suits?”

“You’ve got some room” He winked at her and waved a hand. “Now, bugger off before your breakfast gets cold”

Blowing him a kiss she grabbed the plates and headed back towards her quarter’s, ignoring the curious, sometimes ravenous, looks that she was shot by passers-by. Giving thanks that the operation of door handles was not needed on the city she stepped back into her quarter’s, her Pilot was propped against the headboard flicking through some files. “Are those mine?” Anna raised a brow.

He looked up and matched her gesture. “Is that mine?” He pointed to one of the plates in her hands with his pen.

“You first” She grinned at him and placed the two plates on the desk before heading for the coffee pot. “You raided my coffee stash?”

“Hmm, its very nice” She heard the bed shift. “And no, they’re not yours”

“Are you looking for a replacement already?” Anna poured herself a coffee.

A warm arm snaked around her waist. “Not now you’ve brought me breakfast” Her Pilot pressed a quick kiss to her neck then stepped away. “No tomatoes?”

“Seriously?” She turned and rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I like tomatoes”

“I don’t, they’re so wrong” She wrinkled her nose.

“Wow, thats some kind of grudge” Cameron grinned at her and sat at the desk, unrolling some cutlery. “So, which one’s mine before I get murdered for eating your breakfast”

Anna took a sip of coffee. “Mine’s got more hash browns”

He eyed the plates. “Yours is nearly all hash browns”

“I like them”

“And let me guess, the cook thinks you’re adorable?”

“I am adorable” She smiled serenely at him and nabbed her plate, sitting cross legged on the bed.

“You’re a pain in the arse”

Sticking her tongue out she went back to her breakfast, unlocking her tablet and scrolling through her messages. Emails from Earth weren’t scheduled for another week when the gate would make its routine dial up but there were always notes flying around the city’s intranet, considering they were supposed to be at war there was a surprising amount of gossip to keep on top of.

“Landry came looking for you Princess”

She raised her head, frowning slightly. “Really?”

“Yep” Her Pilot took a sip of coffee. “Left you an open invite to go see him today”

“Oh, ok”

“Think he just wants to check in Anna, he was pissed he didn’t have time to see you yesterday” Cameron raised another brow. “Is that a problem?”

“No” She stabbed a hash brown. She liked her time with Hank but this sounded suspiciously like it was going to involve more talking, proper talking. “I’ll swing by later”

“Whenever you like? Just show up at the General’s office?”

“I’m adorable remember” Anna went for another sweet smile that received a part-reprimanding part-amused look. “See?”

“I’m mad on the inside”

“Sure”

“So, did you have to beat up Shep?”

She frowned as she took a bite of bacon. “Oh, Sheppard. Um, no” She smiled over at him. “I believe Rodney has no complaints”

“Anna” He glared at her. “Please, no talking about Sheppard and sex in the same sentence, we’ve gone over this”

“I didn’t actually say..”

“Princess, shut up”

“You asked”

“I thought your friend was in trouble or something”

“Ah, so sweet of you”

He flipped her off. “So, what was the problem?”

“Sorry, Rodney would kill me, I think he’s already tempted”

Cam grinned at her. “What did you do?”

“Gave his Pilot a little heads up. Who is, by the way, incredibly hot in the mornings”

“You do this on purpose don’t you?”

“Maybe”

Her Pilot dropped his cutlery back on his empty plate and snagged his mug before stretching out beside her with a yawn. Fingers trailed through her hair. “Whatcha doing baby?”

“Catching up on the latest on the rumour mill”

“There can’t be that much going on”

“Umhmm” Chewing thoughtfully she tapped on her next message. It was from Chuck seeing if she wanted to spar. Hitting reply she typed an affirmative along with a request that it not be until 1100, she needed some more sleep or at least a lie down. “There is also quite the social life if you look for it”

“This is a military base Anna”

“And we’d all go completely insane if all we did was kill stuff and exercise Cameron”

“I’m pretty sure most of us are insane already”

“It is a requirement”

Her Pilot rolled to his side to place his mug on the bedside. “I’m hitting the shower Princess, wanna share?”

“Are you a water hogger?”

“Not on purpose”

Anna swallowed the last mouthful of her breakfast. It seemed he wasn’t going to badger her about last night, at least for now, and she relaxed a little. “Ok, but no inappropriate touching”

“Spoilsport”

 

Anna tipped back her head enjoying the feel of the hot spray hitting her face as conditioner was rinsed out, long smooth combing strokes through her hair. Her Pilot had stuck to her no inappropriate touching rule but he had insisted on helping her get clean, so now she was smelling a hell of a lot better than she had before and her tight muscles had been kneaded into submission. “All done baby girl" Lowering her face back down she blinked at him through the water. He smiled. “Better Princess?”

Anna nodded. “Umhmm” She was beginning to feel sleepy again.

“Good, time to catch up on some sleep” Stepping from the shower first Cameron slung a towel round his waist before reaching back in for her hand and gently tugging her from the shower. Anna shivered slightly at the loss of warm water combined with her increasing fatigue. Standing still as a towel was wrapped around her chest whilst another ran over her arms and hair she tried to stifle a yawn. There was a quiet chuckle and she glared at her Pilot, he grinned back. “Get your sweats back on baby then come snuggle”

She wrinkled her nose half-heartedly. “Snuggling is gross”

“You know you want to” Another grin then a quick chaste kiss on her lips before he left her in peace.

Anna stared at herself in the mirror for a moment then rolled her eyes and stripped off the towel. She should feel restless, edgy, because she hadn’t been for her normal morning run but her limbs were heavy and, not that she was going to tell Cameron, but curling up in bed with him sounded preferable to anything else at the moment. Hurriedly pulling on her tee and sweat pants as her skin began to goose bump and the shivers threatened again she thought over last night.

She knew she’d made the conscious decision yesterday to take everything she could from this new pairing and she didn’t regret it. It was unusual for her to find someone who got the balance right and so quickly, she’d tried a few times after leaving Atlantis last year but they either took it to mean they could do whatever the hell they liked to her or they veered too far the other way and made her feel suffocated. Eventually she’d just settled for the odd bit of straight up sex when it was offered, and the other person didn’t look like the hunchback of Notre Dame.

But Colonel Mitchell had been chosen especially for her, and well apparently, as he’d successfully pushed her to confront her feelings about Marshall and he’d known just how to prise open the smallest crack in her defences. And ok she had already been feeling a little worn thin, a little bruised, but still, no one had managed to do that before, not even the trained Empath’s in the Infirmary. She straightened and stared back into the mirror, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Helping her get over the death of her first Pilot was all very well, maybe he was worried the echoes of the trauma would affect their chances in the air, but she hoped that was where he stopped.

Anna didn’t just have Marshall Sumner shaped walls built up in her head, there was more in there. Stuff she didn’t want to remember, and she knew Cameron wouldn’t want to see. She tilted her head before nodding to herself, maybe a little reinforcement was necessary. If he’d made even the slightest dent in those structures by the time they joined officially it could mean a full scale demolition. Treating her teeth to a more thorough brush than she had earlier this morning Anna then padded back into the bedroom and reached for her tablet.

Sitting on the side of the bed she set her alarm just in case she fell into a too deep a sleep for her body to wake her as it usually did when she knew something was scheduled.

“Wanna save the gossip until we both don’t look like death?”

She propped the tablet up on her bedside and turned her head to roll her eyes at him. “Setting my alarm”

Cameron raised a brow from his pillow. “Got somewhere to be baby girl?”

“Sparring with Chuck later” She reached for her comb and hairbands, nothing like going to sleep with wet hair to cause you to wake up looking like two birds had taken up residence there.

Her Pilot frowned. “Don’t you want to rest today?”

“I am resting. Usually I’d have been for a run already” Anna began to pull one half of her hair into a plait. “And it’s still only eight thirty, gives me plenty of time for a sleep beforehand”

Propping himself up on his elbows he watched as she finished the plait and started on the other side. “Is he good?”

“Yep”

“As good as you?”

Anna smiled at him as she finished up her hair. “Yep. But after nearly a year on the front lines I have no issue with fighting dirty”

He grinned and flicked a plait. “Very cute”

Anna scowled at him. “I am not cute”

“Yeah, you really are” Cameron tugged back the comforter. “Come on, if you insist on beating up Chuck then you’ll need a nap first”

Rolling her eyes again she slipped under the covers, letting him pull her into his chest. She sighed quietly as the warmth began to spread through her body and her lids grew heavy. She licked her lips enjoying the feeling of that moment when you knew you were slowly slipping away into sleep.

 

_Anna stared into the darkness behind her lids. They’d been gathered around her bed again, she’d heard Dr Beckett explaining to them that physically she was fine, they didn’t have a reason for her continued sleep. He’d tried to keep the weariness out of his tone at having to give the same speech he had done for the past week but she’d picked up the undertones. Anna had woken some days ago. It had been night, the infirmary lit with a soft glow, the hums and beeps of machines surrounding her. As the on duty nurse had come to check on her as her heart monitor had picked up on her brief panic Anna had snapped her eyes shut again._

_She’d thought over her actions lately and had come to the conclusion she was still pretending to be unconscious because she was a coward. She was scared of the inevitable questions, of having to go back to the real world without her Pilot. But Chuck’s whispered plea for her to wake this morning had tears threatening behind her closed lids and she’d felt a pang of guilt for keeping her friends so afraid._

_Anna sighed quietly and slowly opened her eyes. It was night again so her waking would probably not be detected straight away. She ran her gaze over the room, most of the patients were asleep, the nurse stood by her small workstation studying something on her tablet. As they rested on a young marine who she vaguely recognised from the city’s halls he turned his head, their eyes briefly locking. He sat up then winced, holding his head, she took in the small cut above his left eye. Allowing her gaze to drift away she heard his call for the nurse and then the woman was staring down at her._

_“Anna?” She smiled. “Welcome back sweetie. Can you tell me how you feel?”_

_Empty, broken, still pissed with the world in general. Anna kept her thoughts to herself blinking up at her. The nurse frowned, shining a light into her pupils, looking over the machines. “Anna, can you speak?”_

_Another concerned look at Anna’s silence. She hesitatingly patted her hand. “I’m just going to get Dr Beckett Anna, please stay with us” As she bustled away Anna lazily focused on the marine again. He raised a brow, blinking back at him she let her eyes wander off again. She could still hide for a bit longer and she needed more time. She wasn’t quite ready for the Empath Wing yet._

_As the nurse began to make her way back to the bed with Dr Beckett in tow their attention was caught by the alarm on another bed, shooting her a quick concerned look Beckett turned away and hurried over to the patient who was laying still in his bed as the shrillness of the alarm rung out in the otherwise silent infirmary. As the long steady beep of his heart monitor echoed through the room a few minutes later Anna silently offered up a prayer for him but refused to shed a tear for another lost in a war that never seemed to end._

 

Cameron woke with a jump as his Navi yanked herself free from his grasp, her alarm persistently ringing out before she reached over and hit it off. He frowned at the slight shake in her hand. As she sat with her back to him, feet already on the floor and hand seemingly running over her face he reached out, brushing a finger over her shoulder. Anna flinched slightly. “Princess, maybe you should get some more rest?”

She shook her head, slightly ruffled plaits swinging slightly. “No, I need to do something”

“Whats wrong baby girl?” He rested his chin on her shoulder, wrapping an arm round her waist. “Bad dreams?”

Another muted shake of her head. “No, just my alarm made me jump thats all” Anna twisted her head and smiled at him. “Don’t usually need it”

Cam brushed his lips over hers. “Maybe thats telling you something?”

“Don’t drink so much? Tell your best friend to piss off when they radio you at 0530 in the morning?”

“I agree with both those things but thats not what I meant and you know it” He shifted round so he was sat more next to her. “Last night would have triggered a lot of shit Anna, you’re gonna feel a little raw for a while, get nightmares, flashbacks..”

“Well, doesn’t that sound fun? And like it’s all your fault”

“Baby girl..” He shot her a reproachful look. “You know why it had to be done. Why you can’t keep it tucked away anymore”

“Because you want to fly”

He raised a brow at the quick retort. “No, well kind of. But I want you to feel better as well, you couldn't continue to operate like you were, as an Empath you know that deep down. And yes I want to fly. But I want to fly with you, and I think you want to fly again, and I think it’ll do you a whole load of good too. But they may keep that from you, from us..”

“If I’m certified?”

“You’re not crazy” He frowned at her. “Just stubborn”

She folded her arms across her chest and pouted. “Am not”

“Don’t even try going down that route young lady” He grinned at her. “I’m immune”

“No way”

“Yes way” He sighed, tucking an escaped strand of hair behind her ear. “I forced it out, so at least let me be there for the shitty bits ok? Let me help you fly again” His Navi looked curiously at him, eyes briefly flickering to somewhere else. Cam raised a brow. “You reading me again?”

“No”

He rolled his eyes. “And?”

Tilting her head slightly Anna then leant forward and he found himself being softly kissed. Keeping his hands in his lap so as to allow his Navi to control their contact this time Cam slightly parted his lips to signal she was welcome to take this further if she so wished. Her tongue ran languorously between them once before she pulled back. Anna nodded. “Ok”

 

Anna rolled one of her Bantos back and forth in front of her whilst she waited for Chuck. Despite the rather disturbing wake up call from her nap she was feeling a little better, if slightly apprehensive about what the next few days would bring. She had a suspicion her Pilot was right and there’d be a few more upsetting dreams, plus sudden and violent flashbacks but in a round about way he had confirmed her theory that there was still a chance she wouldn’t fly this run. It had been a part of the reason she’d walked away the first time, knowing that once the techs started digging around in her head they’d ground her instantly.

So far there hadn’t been any mention of that which probably meant she was currently walking a fine line between a pass and fail. And they were no doubt expecting Cameron to push her further into the pass category. He could very well do that, the chances being greater if she chose to work with, rather than against, him.

When she’d reached out to her Pilot earlier there had been concern, fondness, a slight hint of exasperation, a little lust. She guessed the last two would be something she would probably always pick up from him if the beginnings of their partnership was anything to go by but the all round feeling she’d gotten from him had surprised her. It seemed he really did care, and not just about getting into the sky. Hence the unplanned kiss, which he’d sat back and taken, not even grumbling when she’d cut it off and gone to get ready to meet with her friend.

She was shaken from her thoughts as the door to the gym slid open and Chuck strolled in, grinning at her and moving towards the mat, dumping his bag next to her. “Rayne, ready for an arse kicking?”

Anna flipped him off. “No chance Harrington”

He smirked at her and shed his hoody. “I don’t know, you look a little blah”

“Blah?”

“Yeah, your face is all blah”

“Bite me”

“Not looking like that”

She glared at him. “Well, aren’t you even more of a pleasure than usual”

He raised a brow. “Too far?”

“Perhaps a touch” Anna stood and faced him on the mat, Bantos relaxed in her hands.

“Feeling delicate?”

“Feeling angry?”

Chuck rolled his eyes. “Perhaps” He initiated a slow exchange of blows as a warm up.

“Why?” Anna raised a brow as she leant away from a mis-directed swing. “And should I have worn my gum shield and helmet?”

He snorted. “Doesn’t usually bother you”

“Wouldn’t want you to get shot”

“Ah yes, your new and rather protective friend”

“I’d flip you off but I’m busy fielding your aggression”

He grinned and side stepped a stick that was heading towards his knee. “Off your game Rayne”

Anna stuck her tongue out. “So, why the rage?”

“Not rage”

“Is that so” She smiled at the quiet hiss as her stick made contact with his thigh.

“Bitch” He muttered.

“Thank you”

“Not rage” His jaw tightened as the pace picked up. “Frustration”

“Sexual?” Anna spun and felt the disturbed air whistle past her ear.

“Maybe”

“Spill” She flicked a stick from his hand and grinned.

Chuck scowled and stepped away, holding his now empty hand up to signal a breather. “My new Pilot is hot”

“Agreed”

“And completely not interested”

Anna raised a brow again. “Really?”

“Yeah” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, its fine. We get on, had a really nice day together yesterday but every time I left myself open to any touch he seemed completely oblivious. I thought maybe he just hadn’t noticed so I kinda upped my uh, signals and..nothing. He just dropped me at my quarters and said he’d meet me for breakfast if I wanted”

“Not everyone just jumps into bed together hon”

“You did”

“Yeah well Rodney says I’m a whore so..” She shrugged. “But I didn’t before and Sumner never initiated anything, never gave a hint of wanting more”

“You were young Anna, even for a first time Navi, and it was a totally different situation. My first Pilot hung on a bit too but..” He furrowed his brow. “..maybe Lorne isn’t interested in men”

She shook her head. “Uh uh, I have been reliably informed that the pairings are based on dating compatibility too, you know the whole strengthens the bond, improves flight thing. They wouldn’t have matched you with a straight guy”

He gaped at her slightly. “No shit”

“Uh huh, shit”

“Huh” He looked thoughtful. “I mean, I always knew it was kinda secretly encouraged, expected even but..really? They match you with someone you’ll want to go to bed with?”

“Apparently”

“Your Pilot told you?”

She nodded. “Yeah”

“Oh” Chuck chewed on his lip. “Maybe he just doesn’t find me hot”

“You are hot”

“Not to everyone”

“Of course you are” She rolled her eyes. “Talk to him Chuck. There might be a really simple explanation, maybe he’s old fashioned or he doesn’t want to presume, scare you off”

“I was being pretty blatant Rayne. Shit” He went to retrieve his fallen Bantos. “Not sure I can go through the next few months without any kind of contact”

“Give him time if you can’t bring yourself to talk to him sweetie. If it’s still like that in a couple of weeks and he hasn’t said or done anything then bring up relationships outside the bond. See what his reaction is, if he agrees you can at least find a bit of comfort with someone else”

“Maybe” He signalled they could begin again. “But those are always risky, and I have a feeling the closer I get to him the more I’ll like him”

“Maybe that’ll be the same for him too” She grinned as they resumed their sparring. “Failing that just wait for him naked or something”

“Because being rejected whilst naked isn’t mortifying at all”

“No one can reject you naked”

“What if he laughs?”

“Why would he laugh? Do you have a funny shaped..”

“Shut up” He narrowed his gaze and shifted styles, throwing Anna momentarily off.

Righting herself and matching his pace she smirked as best she could whilst concentrating on not getting her teeth knocked out. “You so do”

“Fuck off, I do not” He stepped back as she upped her attack.

“Coming to movie night?”

“Is it Aliens again?” Chuck clenched his jaw as she pushed him further back towards the wall.

“Yep, someone bought him the entire collection in HD”

“They should be taken outside and shot”

She snorted. “Oh come on, they’re always good for a laugh, and its nice to watch something you’ve already seen. Doesn’t matter if you get distracted” Anna waggled her brows and stepped up the pace.

“Don’t think I’ll be getting distracted” His breath became a little more laboured. “Shit” His back hit the wall and he brought his hands up in surrender. “Shit, you fight dirty”

“So do you”

“You’re dirtier” He rolled his eyes as Anna backed off, letting him move towards his bag. Grabbing a bottle of water he took a long pull of his drink. “Can I come sit with you?”

“Sure, but you should sit with Lorne. Maybe there could be snuggling”

Chuck made little gagging noises. “Snuggling is gross”

“Yeah, but sometimes it leads to less gross things” She looked at him questioningly before reaching for her own drink.

“Maybe” Her friend sighed again and drained his drink.

“Come on hon” Anna smiled at him. “I’ll give you one more chance to prove your manliness and then we’re meeting Rodney for lunch”

 

“Who’s Hank?” John watched his friends Navi slip through the tables of the mess after excusing herself.

“Seriously Shep?”

He turned his gaze to his old friend. “Um, yeah?”

Mitchell rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot”

His own Navi snorted quietly, bent over his tablet. John glared at the top of his head.

Mitchell grinned at him. “The man in the big glass office? The one who must be obeyed? Your CO?”

“Oh” He raised a brow. “She calls him Hank?”

“I have come to the conclusion that Anna has no concept of authority figures, or their titles”

“So what does she call you?” He smirked at the other man as he flipped him off. Rodney tore his gaze from his work and opened his mouth to give his own reply. John smiled at him. “Don’t even think about it Dr McKay”

His Navi glared at him. “Oh come on”

“No” John raised a brow. “So, she’s just popping in? Without an appointment”

Rodney grinned. “Anna also has no concept of appointments” Mitchell rolled his eyes at him. “And I have come to the conclusion that authority figures like to indulge her”

“Oh” John shared a quick look with Major Lorne.

“Say it and die Sheppard” Mitchell raised challenging brow.

“Can I think it?”

“No”

Lorne huffed a quiet laugh.

“Shut up Major”

“Oh, yes Sir” He raised his mug to hide his mouth and winked at his Navi. “Thinking it though”

Chuck bit his lip and closely examined his lunch.

“For fuck’s sake” Muttered Mitchell.

“Why does Mitchell look like he’s about to implode?” John looked up as Colonel Caldwell slid into the seat recently vacated by Anna, a pretty redhead taking the chair next to him.

“He’s talking to Sheppard, duh” Lorne grinned.

Caldwell snorted as the other two Pilots death glared him. “I see we’re all getting along wonderfully” He waved his cutlery at the woman next to him. “Lieutenant Laura Cadman, marine and my Navi. Say hello Laura”

“Hello Laura” She smiled serenely at them.

Rodney grinned at her. “Welcome, you’re gonna fit right in”

Caldwell rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like you and Rayne weren’t enough trouble”

“Hey” Chuck pouted. “I’m trouble too”

“Course you are sweetie” Rodney patted his hand, getting a rude gesture in return.

John grinned at his Navi. “Play nice Rodney” He looked the newest Navi at the table over. “So you’re a marine too? Isn’t that unusual?”

“I’m a late bloomer” Laura twinkled at him. “And there’s no way I’m dropping my rank, I got beaten up way too many times to get it”

“Good for you” Chuck waved his fork at her. “So this is your first run?”

“Umhmm” She took a sip of coffee, nodding slightly. “Been at the mountain for a year”

“Laura was second in command of SG-3. She’ll come in handy” Caldwell smiled at her as she rolled her eyes.

“Cool, whats it like?”

“Going through the gate?” She raised a brow at John. He nodded. “Pretty awesome. More boring missions than you’d think though, mainly interspersed with running for your life from variously shaped aliens”

He grinned. “Didn’t think marines ran away”

“They do when there’s an eight foot slavering dog thats invulnerable to bullets galloping towards them”

“Ah” He peered at her. “Did that really happen?”

“Yep” She took another sip of coffee. “In the end I just blew it up”

Caldwell smiled slightly, forking up some pie with one hand while the other that was slung over the back of her chair played with a strand of hair.

John eyed her suspiciously. “Really?”

“Umhmm”

“How did you do that if you were running away?”

“Well, I changed direction and threw some C4 into its open mouth”

“Awesome”

“Yeah, until it exploded and I got covered in sh..”

“Yes, thank you Laura” Caldwell raised a brow. His Navi stuck her tongue out but silently started in on her own pie. “So, my squadron appears to be missing a Navi?”

“Your squadron?” Mitchell eyed him.

“Yep, if all goes ok with the final joining you’re looking at Viper Squadron One. Plus Rayne when she deigns to join us”

“She’s with Ha..uh Landry” Mitchell grinned at him. “Seriously, squadron one?”

“Yes, it appears despite your best efforts to display an image contrary to the fact, you are all indeed awesome”

“Awesome”

“Which basically means you’re going to be the first ones to get shot at” Caldwell grinned back.

“Well, you can’t have it all”

 

Anna took a seat in the chair opposite him. “Afternoon General” She smiled. “Am I interrupting?”

“Yes, thank you” She grinned at him. “I’m sorry I missed you yesterday hon” Hank tipped back in his chair. “And for the crappy timing, I tried to change it but the techs weren’t having any of it”

She shrugged. “It’s ok. You can’t run the whole base around me”

“True” He eyed her. “You sure everything is ok?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “This line of questioning is getting a little boring”

“Anna” He frowned. “I need you to be ready for this, we need you and Mitchell”

She nodded. “I know, I’m sorry. Guess I’m a little worn down by all the nurturing”

Her friend snorted. “Indulging himself is he?”

“You could say that” She sighed. “And its kinda nice I suppose. I just, I guess I've gotten used to looking after myself”

“You can still do that Anna, just let people help ok?”

“I feel like I’m still a burden, and people keep eyeing me like I’m about to explode of something”

“Are you?”

“No” She scowled at him then smoothed her expression. “Um, are they really gonna let me fly this run?”

He raised a brow. “Strange question”

“I get the feeling it’s not a certainty”

Hank nodded. “It’s a close thing. You know they don’t let us see everything the tests reveal but I think they’re concerned about the way you’ve dealt with Sumner’s death, and your time on the front line”

Anna swallowed down her anger. “This is why I left Hank, I hate that they poke about in there, think they know what’s best”

“They generally do though” He smiled a little sadly at her. “And I admire anyone who goes through this testing period, it must be tough. Knowing theres nowhere to hide” She nodded silently. He looked at her curiously. “You’re not hiding anything are you Anna?”

“Like you say there is nowhere to hide” She went for innocent.

“You’re a strong Empath, one who managed to block Keller and her staff when you were still battered and bruised. And you know how these tests work”

“I think I’m a little insulted Hank”

“I have to be sure hon. It’s not just you on the line up there, you know that”

“I know” She smoothed her pants over her legs before grabbing her mug. “There is nothing there that wasn’t before, except for Marshall and I’m moving through that. Anyway the tests were devised by the former residents, and use their tech, nothing can withstand them”

“Ok” He gave a little nod. “Mitchell alright?”

“Annoying but bearable” He raised another brow. She sighed again. “I reluctantly quite like him”

Hank grinned at her. “Good. And his behaviour?”

“He’s pushy, nosy, bossy and incredibly ungentlemanly” He huffed a quiet laugh, taking a sip of coffee. Anna rolled her eyes. “However he cares, wants to understand, has a halfway decent sense of humour and is kinda cute” She eyed him over her mug. “You tell him that and I’ll kill you”

He held up his fingers. “Scouts promise”

“Is he good?”

“Excuse me?”

She grinned at him. “In the sky? Is he good?”

“Oh” He cleared his throat. “Um, yes. They all are, you know that. We don’t send amateurs out there”

“Hank?” She raised a brow.

He sighed. “Right, fine” The General drained his coffee. “Yes, he’s very good. As are the two that made it through with him..”

“Sheppard and Lorne?”

Hank nodded. “They trained together, although Lorne was a year below them at the Academy. They’ve got a good chemistry, work well together. Took on some tough missions before they joined the programme”

“Any disasters?”

“Ask your Pilot”

She raised a brow. That wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting.

He rolled his eyes. “Afghanistan, bad intel. Thats all you’re getting. But it wasn’t any of their faults, you know how it is”

“Unfortunately” Anna wrapped her hands around her mug. “Must have sucked”

“They appear to have moved past it. Weren’t happy at the time though. Your Pilot nearly lost his commission, smacked his CO one”

“Awesome”

“Insubordinate” A faint smile tugged at his lips. “But it was done with the best intentions, and I have to say I’d have probably done the same in my younger years”

“You little firecracker you”

He flipped her off and Anna grinned. “I believe thats where our conversation ends before you descend further into inappropriateness” He opened his laptop again. “You going to movie night?”

“Yep, you?”

“Not this time, the new pairings have escalated my paperwork”

“Sorry”

“For once its not you hon” He smiled at her. “And glad to hear you’re going. Make the most of your downtime ok?”

Anna nodded. “Sure”

“Now piss off, I’m busy”

“Yes Sir” Ripping off a textbook salute Anna slipped from his office.

 

Strolling into the rec room Cameron ran his eyes over the crowds, the couches that were usually spread out had been pushed into vague rows with a few large chairs dotted in-between them. He hadn’t had chance to catch a movie here yet with all his time and energy focused on preparing for the dozens of tests he’d had to sit through but he had made it down for a couple of quiet games of chess with Sheppard.

He’d pulled on jeans and a black tee for tonight guessing it wasn’t really an occasion that called for uniform and it looked like he’d been right. Some people were even in sweats and he was pretty sure there were a couple in pyjama’s. Swinging his gaze to the back he smiled slightly, it seemed his friends had requisitioned two of the couches. Lorne and Chuck were already there seemingly discussing something important if the Navi’s hand gestures were anything to go by, a rather large man sporting dreadlocks sat the other side looking suspiciously like he was disguising a grin.

This must be the infamous Ronan he’d been hearing so much about, he certainly looked like he’d be capable of surviving the Krill if anyone could. Anna’s trainer and friend Teyla was sat on a large cushion by his feet, head tilted to listen to the conversation and smiling softly.

On the couch next door sat Sheppard and McKay, Rodney rolling his eyes at something his Pilot was saying earning himself a grin and a playful punch to the arm. Cadman leant forward to the side to murmur something into Rodney’s ear and he glared at her. She smirked back before receiving a light tap on her knee from her Pilot who was sat propped against the arm of the couch, beer lazily hanging from his fingers. Caldwell tipped his head, mouth forming words that Cam couldn’t hear but caused Sheppard to grin again, and his Navi to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

“Earth to Colonel Mitchell” He blinked and looked down at his side. His Navi smiled up at him. “If it's ok do you mind if we not watch the movie from here?”

He rolled his eyes, Anna had asked if she could meet him here, she’d wanted to see Hank and then have an hour or so to herself. He’d reluctantly agreed, Landry’s earlier words of advice still ringing in his ears. He took her in. Anna was now in soft black leggings, a long pink fluffy jumper and thick pink socks. “Never had you down for a pink girl” She stuck her tongue out. Cameron grinned back. “Come on Princess, looks like we’re taking the floor”

“Only cause you were late” She followed him through the masses, smiling an occasion greeting.

“So were you”

“But I don’t mind sitting on the floor. And being late is part of my charm. You’re supposed to be all efficient and stuff”

“I am?” He nodded at his friends and propped himself against the other arm of the couch that Sheppard and McKay were on.

“Yes, its all your uptight military training”

McKay snorted above him. He flipped him off. “We are not uptight”

“Uh huh” She settled in between his legs, wrapping her hands around the mug she’d wandered in with. “I bet you iron your underwear”

“Anna, shut up”

“I think I’ve found my new role model” Cadman grinned down at her as her Pilot rolled his eyes at Cam.

Anna smiled. “I’m very flattered. How you doing Laura?”

“Good” The other Navi winked at her and leant in to mock whisper in her ear. “I’ve even been excused from sitting on the floor today”

His Navi smiled into her drink whilst Caldwell sighed. “Laura, you are not funny”

“Uh huh, I’m hilarious”

Anna nodded. “She is”

“Mitchell..” Caldwell glared at him, apparently wanting him in some way to step in with his Navi.

He grinned at his superior. “Hey, don’t look at me. I think she’s kinda funny too”

“Idiot”

As the noise of a hundred different conversations began to hush and the lights dimmed he looked up as another two figures padded silently over to their group. He nodded at Colonel Carter and the bespectacled man with her as they joined Teyla. Apparently it wasn’t past the leader of AR-1 to sit on the floor too. He knew Carter vaguely from years ago and had heard a lot about her achievements since joining the programme. The woman was a force to be reckoned with and had done a lot in Pegasus to bring them closer to some sort of success out here.

Of course there’d been the rumours about her and O’Neill, some saying thats why she’d taken the post out here eventually but Cam knew a bit about whispered half-truths and purposefully career-ruining lies. For him the reports that detailed exactly what she’d done to bring her team home safe time and again was enough to gain his respect. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do the same, couldn’t imagine being in charge of a lead team and the pressures it must bring.

His Navi snuggled in a bit closer and Cam brought his arms round her waist, bending his head to whisper in her ear. “Ok baby girl?” Anna nodded silently. Pressing a soft, subtle kiss to her hair he leant back and let himself get drawn into the images playing on the screen. Ronan had good taste, he loved these films.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I know John and Rodney's first sex scene was cut off before the, uh, climatic end but I felt they deserved a little privacy! I'll go all the way next time I promise!
> 
> As always any comments are welcome and gratefully received. Sometimes when I'm writing I get so lost in my own brain I forget I'm trying to follow an actual story line! Or points I want to make get lost in the rambling!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to read. Hope you took some pleasure from it.
> 
> edit-reading through I realised I'd made a boo boo by having Anna refer to the Ancients before they were supposed to have heard of them, doh! Just a couple of word changes were done in the editing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

Anna padded softly down the deserted corridor, her running shoes making no sound on the smooth surface. She had told her Pilot she was going for a short run before bed and perhaps that is what she intended to begin with but she knew full well this idea had been an annoying niggle in the back of her mind since she had discovered she would once again be taking to the sky. This sector of the city was silent, bathed only in the dim glow of the emergency lighting but in two weeks time it would be filled with engineers and techs, Pilots and Navis.

The air would be filled with the hum of engines and the crackling of the comms. The hurrying of personnel and the smell of sweat and oil. When the runs began this sector would come alive and there would be nowhere to hide. Anna stopped in front of the large grey doors, tracing a finger over the lettering there. The docking bay had always tested her blocks, the joy of every successful mission, the despair of every bad one, it all permeated the walls and floor, the equipment, even the Vipers themselves. Reflected emotions had that power, to linger, to raise goosebumps even on the arms of those who weren't an empath. The first time Anna had stepped into that place she had physically shook, the bile rising in her throat, eyes pricking at the sudden threat of tears in sympathy for those who had come before.

This place was both familiar and unknown, she had no idea how she would react the next time she walked into the space behind these doors. And if she suffered some kind of breakdown on the day of their first run it would be back to the therapists and the tests, and the prodding and poking. Anna wanted to fly, she wanted Cameron to be able to fly, and she wanted to fly with him. She took a deep breath and gave the nod to Atlantis. The doors slid open, the faintest whisper of a sound. The escaping air caught a few tendrils of her hair, the brush of them across her neck forcing a small shiver from her body. Anna closed her eyes and inhaled, taking in the staleness, the Vipers had not flown for nearly four months, on standby whilst a fresh batch of Pilots and Navis were tested, paired up.

Keeping her eyes firmly shut she licked her lips, prodding gently at her emotions. Sensing nothing to so far worry her she raised her lids and took a step forward, jumping slightly when the lights raised as Atlantis picked up the presence of a member of her new flight team. Politely requesting they be dimmed Anna moved in further, hearing the swish of the doors as they closed behind her, another request for some privacy being received with a faint buzz as they locked. She exhaled quietly, looking over the railings and down into the cavernous bay.

Spread out before her were the seventy-four active Viper's, Anna knew there were more but currently the city could only realistically keep these ones running at full efficiency. Plus there were the three identical bays at the base of the city which still held quite a bit of water, with the war still raging there just weren't the resources to work on draining it and trying to repair the flooded craft. Luckily the small Jumper bays had been at the top of the city's spires and the first wave of the expedition had no problem in locating and utilising the rescue crafts.

She had often tried to picture Atlantis before it had been sunk, just the idea of the number of Vipers that would have been active was mind-blowing. The fact that the Krill had seemingly run the previous occupants out sometimes seemed impossible. Along with what had to have been a fleet of over three hundred Vipers there had been eighty of the Jumpers, plus the weapons they called drones which the techs believed had been fired from the small raised squares that ran along each pier. Paired with the shielding and cloaking tech the city must have been an impressive war base, especially if it had been taken into the sky. Her and Chuck had snuck down to the engine room one day, water lapping at their ankles, where he'd explained to her in hushed tones that the whole city could fly but no one had ever wanted to risk trying it. She'd run her fingers over the gently pulsing red lights, tracing the arms of the ornate chair that sat centre stage, a warmth spreading through her arm, the whisper of home echoing in her mind.

The Krill were strong, and good at adapting, close up they were also kinda terrifying too but even with a depleted fleet the expedition had been making slow progress against them and Atlantis had been kept safe. Anna began to make her way down the steps. During the weeks after Marshall's death she had often thought about that hybrid, they had never seen anything like it before and Hank had said they had not engaged with anything like it since. Perhaps it had been a throwback, perhaps that is what had eventually driven the original Lanteans from their home. If there had been enough of those things it could be a possibility, a small one but still one all the same.

She paused, foot hanging off the top step, fingers curled around the hand rail. There was a light touch to her shoulder and she whirled.

 

He smiled down at her. "We are forming a traffic jam Anna"

She blinked. "Oh, um, sorry" Turning she placed her foot to the floor, shivering slightly at the first contact. She had not been ready for this place.

"Are you ok Anna?"

She nodded, not turning. "Yes, sorry" Coming to a stop far enough away from the stairs to allow the others to pass she stood, unsure what to do next. White-coated personnel hurried around her.

"You don't have to be sorry, it can be overwhelming the first time" He appeared in her eye-line. "We're front and centre.." He smiled. "..will be leading them out"

Nodding silently she followed him as he weaved through the Vipers before halting beside the sleek craft that was indeed placed to be first through the bay doors. Anna reached out, hand tentatively trailing over the cool surface, trying to distract herself from the crashing emotions.

"Beautiful isn't she?" Anna turned to look at him. He smiled again. "Yes, we all refer to our Vipers as a 'she', just like any car, plane or ship"

"I have always wondered why is that?"

Her Pilot raised a brow. "I am sure there are many inappropriate yet inaccurate answers"

Anna smiled slightly despite herself.

"Factually I believe it stems from a time when men thought they were the dominant sex, their vehicles were an extension of their own personal lives, the need to control, ride, fix, care for. Personally I like to think it's because she keeps me safe, gets me to where I want to be and because I need her like I need air, because we've been through a lot together and still get along, most of the time"

"Oh" She tilted her head. "Will it be a she to me?"

"That is for you decide" Another small smile.

Anna nodded again and turned back to the Viper, her reflection blurred in the brushed metal. Stroking her hand down again Anna padded slowly to the nose of the craft, fingers running over the sharp tip. "At least if we run out of ammunition we can impale our enemy"

There was a quiet snort. "A last resort Navigator, I wouldn't want to be attached to a burning Krill"

She flashed him a quick grin before continuing her path around to the other side, eyes and hand taking in the smooth curve of the right wing. There was another roll of emotions and she closed her eyes, trying to subtly breathe deeply.

"Anna?"

She swallowed, pushing back the bile. "Yes?"

"Are you ok?"

Opening them again she turned and attempted a smile. "Of course"

He folded his arms across his chest. "No lying Anna"

She stared at him for a moment trying to figure out if he was just taking a wild guess or he could actually read her that well already. A brow rose at her and she sighed quietly. "I am fine. I was just a little unprepared for this"

"For meeting your Viper?" His lips quirked up slightly.

Anna shook her head, keeping her voice low. "This place, this room"

Her Pilot frowned. "You're referring to your empath side?"

She nodded silently.

"There is nothing wrong here Anna, its just the normal everyday routine"

"I know" She looked at her hands. "I..I can feel, whats come before"

There was a pause. "Past emotions?"

"Yes"

"Anna?" He sighed. "Look at me Navigator" She raised her eyes. "Can you explain to me? I need to know about things like this"

She chewed on her lip before resigning herself to the inevitable. "Human emotions are very powerful, a place where intense feelings have been experienced by a lot of people can absorb them, take on their characteristics"

Her Pilot eyed her. "And here?"

"There is joy, also fear, excitement, despair, grief"

"Can you block these?"

"I am trying, but sometimes they are just too powerful. It won't only be the expedition, the people from Earth, but the original occupants of the city. They lost many, lost a war"

"Do you feel it on other parts of the city?"

"Only if I drop my barriers. But here, this place has seen a lot"

"Anna, you need to find a way to deal with this, especially when we begin our runs. You need to be focused"

She nodded again. "I was unprepared, it will get easier with each time"

"If it doesn't you must tell me"

Those blue eyes were boring into her again, she fought the urge to squirm under their perusal. "Of course"

"Have you ever felt this before?"

"There are certain places I avoid, hospitals, churches.."

Marshall nodded his understanding. "Ok, so no day trips to those places" He smiled suddenly. "Just keep me informed Anna, it's important ok?"

"Ok"

"Now.." He kicked over a small set of steps. "Want to take a look inside?"

"I thought that wasn't allowed?"

"I think perhaps with your..ability it would be best" The top of the Viper silently rose, two steps dropping from its side. "Please.." He gestured for her to step up.

"Um, ok. Thank you" Stepping up cautiously Anna peered into the space before dropping down into it. Two chairs faced each other, sleek metal seemingly bound by strips of a different substance, a faint blue glow illuminating the headrest and the places where the occupants hands would rest. She had seen pictures but the real thing was beautiful, and practically screamed at her to sit in it. The one placed towards the back of the Viper would be hers, facing her Pilot, who would sit with his back to the tiny windscreen, flying with the aid of his connection to the craft and the many screens she knew would pop up between them during flight.

Behind his chair a console sat dark and quiet, her presence would not activate it, the Viper would wait for its Pilot before making any moves to engage its flight sequence. She lightly touched her chair before stepping back at the echoes of another Navi.

"Anna?" In the small space her Pilot had been forced to take a seat in his chair, the control deck now humming quietly behind him. He looked up at her questioningly, in the small well between the two chairs Anna could stand upright, just. "You can sit if you want. We won't take off I promise"

She fought the desire to roll her eyes. Anna had been entranced by the idea of flying ever since Jack had shoved her into the class full of trainee Navis, two weeks and thirty minutes late. "It's not that. I just..can feel them"

His brows rose. "Lindsey?"

Anna smiled at him. "I'm an empath, not a telepath"

Her Pilot rolled his eyes. "Lindsey Novak, my last Navi"

"Oh, yes. I think so" She dipped her eyes. "Sorry" She couldn't pick up any feelings of hurt or death but it was unusual for pairings to be separated for any other reason.

"Don't be. She didn't die" She raised her eyes again and he smiled at her. "She fell in love"

Anna frowned. "Oh"

"The bond between Pilot and Navi is a very intense one, and once the runs begin there is not much time, or space, for anyone else" She nodded politely, not wanting to interrupt but eager to learn more. "She had to choose, between flying with me or staying with her partner. She chose them"

"It hurt?" She tilted her head questioningly.

"A little" Marshall smiled a little sadly. "We were together for a long time, saw a lot, felt a lot. But I could never bring myself to stand in the way of her happiness. And she still writes, she's a very important person now" A small grin. "Sit Anna, please" He gestured to the chair and she hesitated before taking a seat on the small step in front of it. She wasn't quite ready to feel the full force of this other Navi, another who had played such an important part in her Pilot's life. He hid a small smirk, unsuccessfully, before leaning forward, elbows on his knees, looking down at her.

"I was recruited to the programme when it first began, along with O'Neill, Landry and Caldwell. Senator Hammond was then a mere Colonel.." He twinkled at her. "..and I a mere Captain. Working alongside the elite of the sciences we opened the gate, formed teams, began off-world exploration. Within a year we had discovered the existence of a gate network in a completely different galaxy, the next few months being dedicated to finding a power source that would enable us to travel there. I remember standing on that ramp beside my friends, watching as the MALP disappeared into the horizon, waiting for the all clear from the control deck. Hearing Walter's voice over the comm saying we had a go sent shivers up my spine"

"A new galaxy, a legendary city that supposedly sat at the bottom of an ocean somewhere on Earth" He sat back in his chair. "We had five months grace before the Krill discovered Atlantis was back, and in that time we indulged in explorative missions, opened up the city sector by sector, blissfully unaware of the threat. Then we began to hear whispered rumours off-world. An old enemy returning, laying waste to sparsely populated worlds but always getting closer, getting closer to the allies we'd made, getting closer to the city"

"By then we'd discovered the Vipers but were utilising the Jumpers instead, seeing no need for the battle craft. But as we grew more concerned Hammond ok'd the initiation of their activation, and that's when we realised we needed not only Pilots but Navigators too. It still took a good few years before we totally understood the true meaning of Pilots and Navi's, Lindsey was my first Navi, my only one before you Anna. She was very special, but you are my true match"

She stared up at him. "You…Lindsey didn't get tested?"

"No Anna, we didn't have tests then. We didn't know. I was very lucky that we worked so well together, so well that we weren't pulled out, ordered back for the proper tests. This is new for me too Anna, I look forward to seeing how we fly, what the tests really prove" He smiled down at her. Anna swallowed and pulled her knees up to her chest, she hoped she was ready, ready to replace this Lindsey, ready to fly, ready to face the Krill who had taken so many.

A finger ran through her hair. "Do not worry Anna, it will work, I promise. You're very special Anna, very talented, smart. I am honoured to get the chance to fly with you"

 

Rodney peered at his screen, eyes briefly flitting to his Pilot who was seemingly asleep, sprawled out on the bed, book held loosely between his thumb and forefinger. He had been working on the little problem of the extra weight of the Vipers power supply when the lights in his quarters had flickered and his screen had changed from the complex equations to this. He chewed on his lip, staring at the image in front of him. It was obviously security footage and he wasn't sure how it had gotten rerouted to his tablet but apparently whoever had done it wanted him to do something about it.

He vaguely knew where this place was so it shouldn't be a problem but he was unsure about interfering in this. He watched as his friend slowly climbed into Viper Two, the steps folding behind her, hatch closing over her. He tried to swallow quietly, softly rising from his seat, keeping one eye on John as he edged his way out of his quarters, letting out a relieved sigh as the door shut behind him. He really didn't want to have to explain this to someone who wasn't completely in Anna's trust yet.

Nodding a greeting to the few personnel he met on his way Rodney took a quick look around him before turning down the corridor that led to the Viper holding bay, grateful for the fact that his Pilot had chosen to bring him down here on that first day. Not hesitating he approached the doors, sending an order for them to open, momentarily surprised as he heard the lock disengaging before they slid open. Pushing it from his mind for now he jogged down the steps and towards the craft that he had seen his friend stepping into, hoping it would open up for someone who wasn't registered as a member of its flight crew. He really didn't fancy having to radio Mitchell for this one, if Anna's Pilot knew she was coming here there was no doubt he would already be present.

Rodney stopped by the nearly invisible join where the steps were supposed to drop down, sending a polite request whilst trying to convey the urgency of him getting in there. It silently opened up and he tried not to think about why. Lowering himself into the craft he took in the sight of Anna, perched on the small step that led to her chair, knees bent up to her chin, eyes staring at the chair opposite her. She didn't seem to have registered his arrival. He kept his voice soft. "Anna? Are you ok?" Not a muscle twitched, she didn't even blink. "Shit" He whispered. "Anna, can you hear me, please hon?"

A single tear dropped from her bottom lashes, a damp trail running over cheek. He crouched down, following her gaze, finally registering the fact that both chairs were lit up, plus the Pilots console. She shouldn't be able to do that. Rodney swallowed. He'd been privy to her nightmares and she'd touched lightly on the flashbacks, explaining that they'd stopped a few weeks after she'd arrived on Athos but he'd never witnessed one. His friend seemed so far away, untouchable. "Anna?" Nothing. He licked his lips. "Ok Anna, I'm here. Whenever you're ready"

Rodney sat back on his heels, determined to still be there when she came back. Ten minutes later he jumped as his radio crackled in his ear, nearly knocking himself out on the roof of the Viper.

"Viper Squadron One to the briefing room"

The radio clicked off immediately. He cursed quietly, that must mean there was some kind of emergency. He eyed his fellow Navi again, leaning forward, careful not to touch as he examined her other ear. No radio. "Crap" He reached out, hand hovering over her arm, snapping back as his radio came to life again.

"Rodney, where are you?" His Pilots voice was cold, clipped.

He winced, John would have been woken by an emergency call, only to find his Navi gone. "I'm with Anna. I didn't want to wake you"

"What are you doing?"

"Just met for a coffee. We're on our way. I'm sorry"

There was a moment of silence. "Ok baby. Don't be sorry. I was just worried that's all. Don't be long"

"I won't. Thank you John"

"Ok Rodney. And wake me next time ok? Or leave a note"

He smiled despite the circumstances. "Ok"

The radio went silent again and he went back to Anna, this time not pausing in wrapping his fingers around her arm. If they wanted to avoid questions they had to move fast. "Anna, you need to come back now. I'm sorry but there's going to be a whole world of shit and awkward questions if you don't" Her eyes slid shut. "Please hon" He shook her arm slightly, hoping she didn't try to kill him.

Anna's eyes opened and she slowly turned her head to look at him. She licked her lips. "Rodney?"

He attempted a smile. "Hi, welcome back"

She blinked. "Shit, did I zone out?"

"Yeah, you could say that"

"Shit" She shook her head slightly. "How are you..here?"

He sighed. "We'll have to talk about it later, they've just requested our squadron in the briefing room. And if we're not there in the next five minutes…"

"Right" She ran a hand through her hair. "Right, shit" Her hand went to her ear. "Crap, and I don't have my radio"

"I just spoke to John, said we met for coffee. And we're on our way" He waved a hand meaningfully at the hatch.

"Ah right, ok" She raised herself up. "Ok, crap"

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes" She shook him off. "It's fine, just a stupid flashback. Stupid memories"

"They're not stupid" He squeezed her into a hug briefly as the Viper opened up. "We can talk later"

"Maybe"

They climbed out of the craft. "Definitely. That did not look like a happy memory"

"Actually, it kinda was" Anna smiled slightly at him. "I'm sorry Rodney"

He frowned at her as they ascended the stairs. "What for?"

"For dragging you down here"

"You didn't"

They both stopped and stared at each other. "I didn't?"

"Uh, no"

"Um" She frowned. "God, I'm going insane"

"Well if you are so am I" He rolled his eyes. "Can we at least get this meeting done? And be on time so our Pilots don't launch a full-scale man hunt?"

She snorted weakly. "Yeah, sure"

 

Cameron eyed his Navi as she slid into the seat next to him. "Where you been Princess?"

"For a run" Anna shot him a brief smile. "Then I met Rodney for a coffee and a chat"

He raised a brow, keeping his voice low. "You didn't take your radio"

"Borrowed one"

"I hope you're not lying Anna"

"Never Cameron"

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply when Landry cleared his throat.

"AR-1 have missed their check in, by nearly ten hours. AR-2 have done a sweep of the planet they were visiting, based on the information they gathered Captain Ford has requested they return on Jumpers" Their CO swept his gaze around him. "Ford's team all have the gene but none of them are Airforce. We need Pilots which is where you come in"

Caldwell straightened in his chair. "Jumpers haven't been used on the city for a long time and we're not an official squad yet Hank, haven't even been joined"

"The Jumpers don't require bonded Pilots and Navis Steven, you know that" Landry shot him a look. "We need the flight skills, and Miss Rayne's and Dr McKay's experience with the craft will be beneficial. Also all of your team has excellent ground skills"

Their squadron leader laced his fingers together. "And again I ask the reason for the Jumpers?"

Captain Ford tapped the table lightly. "We believe they have been captured by the people of MX4-972 and held in a place that is heavily guarded. The only access we can identify is about four floors up, the Jumpers can get us there, cloaked and shielded. The Vipers just won't suit this kind of mission"

"They have tech?"

"On the outside it seems pretty primitive, large castle, surrounding villages, bonfires outside the walls..you get the picture" Caldwell nodded and Ford smiled back. "But to have taken them they have to have something, and our readings show some kind of tech being used but we can't identify what. It's an unknown which makes me want to just pull them out of there, as little fuss as possible. The Jumpers should allow that"

"Do we know anything of the people there?"

Ford shook his head. "We scheduled a visit there because we've heard that they are a flourishing, and welcoming, settlement. As far as we could tell there were no connections to the Krill, they'd just managed to stay off the radar but.."

"Now you think they may be working with them?"

Cameron watched the two men. There were stories of entire worlds turning to the worship of the Krill, providing them with information, and prisoners, in a vain attempt to stay alive. But ultimately it always ended the same, the Krill didn't like any life that it hadn't created itself and its own informers and sources were often found dead or dying on uninhabited planets.

"There is no hint of Krill tech or DNA but they've obviously aligned themselves with something pretty powerful, and unknown to us"

"So it's a get in, get our people, get out?"

"Yes" The leader of AR-2 nodded. "We can worry about the research later. I just want my people back"

Caldwell licked his lips then nodded. "Very well, we need to go to Athos?"

"No" Landry shook his head. "We've already requested and received two Jumpers from Dixon. They're in the bay at the top of Spire One"

Caldwell snorted quietly. "Confident were we?"

"You're not the only team Steven"

The two men stared at each other for a minute until Caldwell sighed. "Annoying bastard"

"I will write you up Colonel"

"Want my team or not General?"

Another stare down.

"Oh for fuck's sake" His Navi rolled her eyes. "Once we've quite finished pissing all over the briefing room do you think we could go rescue our people?"

Cam groaned quietly. "Anna.."

McKay snorted.

"Rodney.." Sheppard glared at his Navi.

"Oh come on, it was funny.."

"Not in front of the boss"

Landry grinned at them. "It seems you're working just fine without the joining. Now go away, bring my team back"

 

They stood in front of the Jumpers. "Bloody bastard"

"Anna!"

"Cameron, he sent us the most beaten up pieces of shit he had"

"Anna, please.."

Caldwell huffed a quiet laugh. "She's right Mitchell. I'm surprised they still fly"

"Great" He ran hand through his hair. "McKay?"

"I'll see what I can do but we haven't exactly got a lot of time" AR-2 were due in the bay in fifteen minutes.

Sheppard smiled at him. "Do what you can genius. Not forgetting we're awesome Pilots"

Cam rolled his eyes at him the same time as McKay did before watching the Navi move over to the first Jumper, disappearing up the ramp muttering to himself, Anna close on his heels. "You think it'll make a difference Shep?"

"If anyone can.." His friend shrugged.

"Right, genius" Cam rolled his eyes again.

 

Anna curled into the co-pilots seat whilst her friend plugged his tablet into the control console, perching on the end of the pilot's chair. Waiting until he was no longer frowning or muttering to himself under his breath she reached out and tapped his arm. He turned to face her. "Got a minute Rodney?"

He frowned but nodded. "The programme will run itself, will take about ten minutes"

She nodded. "Cool, you are a genius"

"So I keep telling everybody" He grinned. "So?"

"Um, earlier. How did you find me? If I didn't ask you to come?"

"You remember asking me?"

"No" She shook her head, chewing on her lip. "But sometimes I used to do things you know, when I was zoned out. I'd come to in different places, or halfway through a conversation"

"Creepy"

"Yeah, tell me about it" She began to pull her hair into a tight bun in preparation for the trip off world. "Um, so how did you, you know?"

Rodney eyed her. "I don't really know. I mean I know, but I don't know why, or how"

"You're starting to sound like me"

He flipped her off. "I mean.." He dropped his voice, checking the back of the Jumper for any suddenly appearing Pilots. It remained empty, muffled voices from the bay drifting in. "..I was working on my tablet then the screen kind of flickered and then…there you were, climbing into the Viper"

Anna felt her skin goose bump. "Shit, really?"

"Yeah" He nodded. "It was like I was suddenly tapped into the security cameras"

She briefly closed her eyes. "If someone is watching me…"

"I don't know hon. But if they were I don't understand why they'd want to let me in on it. Or why they would be in the first place" He raised a brow. "Unless you're a Krill spy planning on murdering us all in our beds"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Please, if that was true I'd have done it by now. You'd be a piece of piss to assassinate"

"I feel so much better now, thanks"

She smirked at his glare then looked serious. "But really, I mean, those cameras are everywhere…shit" She tied off her bun. "Shit"

"Are you doing something you're worried about others seeing?"

"You mean apart from sneaking down to the Viper Bay?"

"Please, John and I did that a few days ago"

"You rebel you. He's a bad influence"

Rodney frowned at her. "Anna.."

"No Rodney" She huffed. "I'm not doing anything wrong..but I don't really fancy becoming the Pegasus' version of The Truman Show"

"That movie freaked me out"

"Tell me about it" She sighed quietly as the tablet beeped to confirm the completion of the programme. "Would you mind working on it when we get back please sweetie? I would at least like to know just who it is who is so interested in my activities. I may start dressing under my covers"

Rodney snorted. "So wrong" He unplugged his tablet and stood. "And of course I will, I have no desire to be shown you changing next time"

"I'm a little insulted" She grinned. "Anyway, haven't you already seen me naked?"

"Yeah, it was horrifying"

Anna flipped him off before turning to exit the craft.

 

Cam smiled down at his Navi as she reappeared by his side. "Hows our ride Princess?"

"Pretty fucked but it should do the job we want it for" Anna ran a hand over the side of the second craft. "I'd be tempted to request keeping these here" She eyed Caldwell. "Could come in handy, and we'd take much better care of them"

"Lets get this done first huh Anna?" Caldwell grinned at her. "But I may put forward a requisition, if only to see Dixon's face"

She grinned back. "Awesome"

McKay rejoined their small group. "Um, so actually they're not too bad, look worse than they are. Not saying I'd want to take them into a full scale battle but they should be completely fine for what we need. I've made a couple of adjustments, strengthened the cloaking and shielding which seem to be our most pressing needs, we'd have to relinquish some of that if were forced into firing the weapons though"

"Ok, good job McKay" Caldwell nodded at him. "Mitchell and Sheppard fly, Navis in the copilot's seat. You'll need their knowledge of the craft. Lorne, Chuck, Laura and I will join the ground forces. You are only to exit the Jumper if everything goes completely to shit. Hopefully it'll be an in and out job" His Navi smirked at him. "Don't even say it Laura"

"Say what?"

Cam grinned at her. "Everyone's thinking it, don't worry"

"Shut up Mitchell"

"Shutting up Sir"

 

Three hours later.

Anna walked towards the gate of the castle, allowing her feet to drag a little, her hair loose and swinging around her shoulders. When the ground party had failed to check in after an hour her Pilot, Sheppard and Rodney had left the Jumpers, stepping from the open ramp at the back straight into the castle's upper floors. Her uneasiness at watching them leave had grown and now she had decided that she must make a final move. To return to the city and gather back up could mean she was too late, something had to be done quickly.

Stripping off her jacket and holster Anna had released and ruffled her hair, smudged a little dirt over her face and BDU's hoping to disguise their similarity to any troublemakers clothing and slid her two knives into her boots, ensuring their hilts were hidden from view. She was counting on the lost little girl look to save her from any searching tendencies the guards would have. At least those that went as far as her footwear. Approaching the front door should back up her cover story, no one invaded by ringing the doorbell surely? She curled her shoulders a fraction more as a guard approached.

"Halt, identify yourself"

She dipped her eyes. "Please, my name is Anna, I seek only food and shelter for the night"

"You are lost?"

Anna nodded, keeping her gaze averted. "I have wandered many worlds, yours is the first where I have seen light, smelt food"

"Where do you come from?"

"I come from the world Sateda, it has been many years since I have seen my home"

"You come from the Krill?"

"No! No" She twisted her fingers. "I was taken before then, sold. My Master has tired of me" Anna was pretty confident she knew a slave world when she saw one, she just hoped this little piece of new information piqued the guards interest.

There was a pause. "He has abandoned you?"

Anna let her eyes fill with wetness before raising them. "He requires another, he tires of my..girlishness" She inwardly winced. Was that even a word?

Apparently he understood what she was trying to say. "A fool indeed. We welcome all those who are lost"

"Thank you" She whispered. Anna widened her eyes. "It is such a wonder, your home"

He smiled down at her. "Inside is more of a wonder. Please.." He gestured her to walk with him and she fell in step, making sure she kept slightly behind him. "You are an exquisite example Anna, I am sure if you wish to stay you will be none too short of offers"

She allowed herself to flush. Anna could do base instinct if it was required. "You are too kind. Please, would you tell me of your world?"

"I'm afraid that is not my place Anna, but I can promise that it would very much suit you" They passed through the large gates, stepping under an archway and making their way down a long corridor. "If you wish I could see if our leader would meet with you? It is required of anyone who seeks more than one night here"

"I..I would not be out of turn?" More twisting of her hands.

"Of course not" Another smile, and he really was very handsome. They neared the end of the corridor. "Please, wait here. I shall enquire"

Bowing her head she watched him from through her lashes as he stepped through the doors, closing them softly behind him. Managing to keep herself still and serene until he returned Anna raised her head questioningly as the doors once more opened and he reappeared, closing them behind him again.

"Anna, you are welcome to meet our leader"

"Thank you" She dipped her head before stepping forward, pausing as a hand wrapped around her elbow.

"Heed this Anna, talk as you have, listen to his words, but do not partake in his drink or food" She raised her head sharply in surprise. He looked down at her with a serious expression upon his face. "I want you to make an uninfluenced decision"

She frowned slightly. "Oh"

"I shall be on guard outside the door. You may call on me once you are dismissed"

"You warn me because you wish me to partake of your own drink?"

He smiled at her, a curious look flickering over his face. "It would please me but no, I give this warning to many who cross the threshold"

Anna nodded. "I understand, thank you"

The guard nodded. "Now go, or he will become suspicious"

Nodding again she slipped through the doors, pulling them closed behind her, before raising her eyes. Another handsome, if slightly older, man was sprawled in a chair at the head of a long table, the remains of a meal and an half full carafe of drink sat in front of him. He beckoned to her. "Welcome Anna, please, come sit"

Smiling shyly she approached, sliding into the seat to his right. He leant forward and smiled. "Now, my child. Tell me how you come to be alone and wandering strange planets"

"Yours is not so strange" Another shy smile.

He laughed, heartily. "Thank you, I think. Now please.."

"My Master, he tired of me, banished me from his home…" She allowed her fingers to flicker over her bare throat, catching his eyes follow the movement. His tongue darted out briefly. "Took his Collar.."

"A distressing experience for any who are trained to serve"

Anna nodded, eyes to the table. "I have had good training…not that it was needed"

He hummed quietly. "A natural. Tyson mentioned your excellent reactions, and he is a man not easily impressed, or tempted"

Another light flush to her cheeks. "Thank you"

He chuckled. "I like you Anna" He poured himself another goblet. "So, I am going to tell you a little about me, my world, our history. Then you may make the decision to join us, or to merely enjoy shelter for one night" He sat back. "My name is Cassius Bayde. I have sat in this throne for one hundred and twenty moons"

"This world, my home, has no need to fear the arrival of the Krill. You would be safe here Anna, we are well hidden, and we flourish without their influence. We know the Krill for what they are, scavengers, parasites, feeding from those more powerful than them, inside the armour they are nothing more than insects that can be crushed under foot. They used trickery, betrayal, to become the most feared beings within Pegasus" Anna tried not to show her surprise at this opening to what was supposed to be, essentially, a sales pitch. This was obviously something Bayde felt passionately about. "There was a race who came before them, one who was wise, strong, sought to free us, who made the mistake of trusting the Krill"

"For many moons we lived under the rule of the Ancients, a name they blessed unto themselves, believing that they were already Godlike, wiser, stronger, with morales that we should match up to. Some worlds flourished under their regime but some, like mine, did not. They had no conception of a more primitive, as they called it, way of life, tucked away in their city" Anna's heart beat a little faster, this could be very useful information, as long as he didn't discover she probably lived on the exact same city. "Crops, heat, shelter, water filtration, prevention of diseases. They thought that all we needed was technology and wisdom"

"Is that not what all worlds need?" She kept her voice soft.

"It depends what kind of wisdom is being imparted"

Anna nodded, not wishing to question too much in case he stopped his rather informative speech. She fingered the control for the Jumper in her pocket, easing her fear for now.

"Their desire for betterment and accomplishment in fact destroyed many worlds, wiped out entire settlements" He poured another goblet and slid it over to her. She nodded her thanks and curled her fingers around the stem but left it on the table. The guards words ringing in her ears. "But they made a mistake. One that sealed their fate, and saved the rest of our galaxy from their terrifying reign. The people known as the Itarayan were wise and noble, they were peaceful, dedicated to the gathering of knowledge through exploration and study. The Ancients identified them as an excellent resource for their quest for enlightenment, ascension. But in their experimentation they altered the Itarayan's DNA, morphed them into another race altogether. They became..Wraith"

Anna frowned, forgetting the part she was playing for a moment. "As in spirits?"

Bayde smiled at her. "I see our worlds have different meanings of the word Wraith. No, not spirits, they became strong, with heightened healing, vast intellect. But they had one genetic fault. Wraith needed to feed from other living beings to continue, a hand placed against your chest would draw your life force from you. But they took only those who deserved to no longer have life, who plagued our galaxy"

"Of course" She murmured.

"And their judgement was sound" Bayde leant forward again, forearms leaning on the table. "They rose up against their oppressors, their creators, joining with the Krill. It did not take long for the Ancients to be beaten back. But once they had been forced from their precious city the Krill turned, battling against the Wraith whose numbers had been severely depleted during the long war. It has been many moons since the last of the Wraith was destroyed, the Krill seeking the city of the Ancients ever since, knowing the knowledge they need to finally become all powerful resides there"

"In their quest for this knowledge Pegasus has suffered greatly, even more so since the city rose from the waters, strangers roamed our worlds. It is now our purpose to once again raise the Wraith, the only beings that could fight back against the continuing rise of the Krill"

"I have heard tales that the Krill suffer in the face of their current enemy"

Bayde smiled, dark and dangerous. "They hold them off, nothing more. And while they sit safe in their city our people die. The Wraith are our only hope"

"But they are gone?" Anna eyed him, the man was clearly teetering between slight eccentricity and complete insanity.

"We know how the Ancients created them" He leant back in his chair once more. "The Wraith will come again"

"I am sure it will be most wondrous" She smiled shyly at him, hoping he hadn't seen her couple of slip ups.

However Bayde appeared to have been completely focused on his own tale, this Wraith who had become an obsession. "It will my child, it will" He smiled slightly before refocusing on her. "So, now you know our purpose here, the beliefs you would be expected to follow it is up to me to offer you a place with us. And to detail your duties should you accept"

She nodded silently.

"You may join me or, as is his right, you may accept the offer of Tyson's ownership. His standing is somewhat lesser than mine however, your life would differ greatly. In my House you would be treasured, nurtured. Want for nothing" He smiled at her again and Anna fought the urge to shiver. Despite his words Anna had a feeling he could be a cruel Master and, if she really was a lost and lonely slave, she would be forced to pay many times over for any luxuries she enjoyed. "Tyson would demand that you be by his side whilst he performed his own duties. You would be under obligation to join him at the gate, and in the cells"

In her head she jumped up and down, clapping her hands in a disgustingly girlish manner. On the outside she kept her posture relaxed. "I am honoured to receive two such generous offers so soon after my arrival. I am sure serving yourself would bring much pleasure but I must be honest to my training, my dynamic. I would be more suited to your guard"

Bayde sighed, eyeing her still full cup. For a terrifying moment she thought he was going to become angry, or force his ownership upon her. "As you wish Anna, a great pity indeed. Please know that my offer will always stand. Perhaps some time spent with Tyson will change your decision"

"A generous and kind offer Master Bayde. I shall remember"

He nodded. "Very well" He waved a hand. "Bring Tyson"

A slave seemed to emerge from the very wall of stone, gracefully making their way to the heavy doors. Anna took a sly look, she was beautiful, and in seemingly good health, then she moved past them and the lines across her back shimmered in the candlelight. Anna swallowed, cruel indeed.

 

Anna knelt on the cold stone floor trying to give the impression that this was as natural as breathing to her and that it also gave her pleasure. She may have a secret little submissive streak but there was something about kneeling before another that made her want to get to her feet and punch them in the face. Her hair was lifted from her shoulders. "Keep it upon your head Little One"

Bringing her own hands up she pinned the now rather tangled mess to the top of her head, raising her face as her chin was encouraged up by a finger. Cool leather wrapped around her throat, Anna tried to stay relaxed, the collar was thick and tough, unforgiving. It was pulled tight and she failed to hold back the quiet whimper. There was a quiet hum of satisfaction behind her, another pull on the material and Anna bit her lip, concentrating instead on the light tugging and soft sounds of it being fastened, the snip of excess material, the click of a lock. She hoped she was going to get the opportunity to find her friends and get this thing off before it permanently embedded itself into her skin.

"Perfect Anna. Very good" He stepped in front of her and she instantly dropped her eyes. "Excellent" He ran a thumb over the collar, pressing in firm. "You may release your hair" As she felt it tumble back over her shoulders and fall either side of her face he began to speak. "I must perform my check of the cells this evening Little One, then we shall get you clean. Your rules will be clear, I do not have many but I expect them to be adhered to Anna, if they are broken you will be punished. They will be given to you once we are both washed and fed"

"You will spend this night in my bed. You wear my Collar but each slave and Master has the grace of one day to change their decision, after tonight both of us will be clear on whether this will become a permanent arrangement. Please try not to disappoint me Anna, and I shall do the same for you" His hand slipped into her hair, grabbing a fistful before twisting it around. "I look forward to your tears Little One, your begging" He pulled her hair tight, Anna swallowed. Trust her to hook up with the crazy sadist. His mouth pressed against her ear and she let herself shiver, to him this was the foreplay, to gauge her reactions, to get himself ready.

Her new Master growled quietly. "I see I read you right Anna" His teeth dragged over her collar. "By the end of this night you will bear my mark inside and out, I will own you slave"

She swallowed around her new piece of jewellery. "Yes Master" She whispered.

Another low growl and she was being pulled to her feet by her hair, scrambling to get up before she was left with a bald patch. He chuckled darkly. "Let us get these tiresome duties done with. I will not wait much longer"

 

John propped himself against the bars of their cell and sighed. At least his Navi was with him, both Mitchell and Caldwell were looking a little stressed. They knew Anna wouldn't still be waiting patiently in the Jumper for them, which meant she was either back on the city requesting back up or, a more likely scenario, currently sneaking around the castle trying to find them. Cadman was also apparently still a free agent seeing as she was a definite non-presence in the jail. In the cell next door Captain Ford and his team were standing around the door, trying to decipher the lock, still.

They'd also had no luck locating AR-1, their trackers were no longer giving off a signal and there was not even a hint of their presence down here, or in the few areas they'd managed to search between them before getting captured. Ford had been right, these people may like to give the impression of primitiveness but they had some seriously awesome tech, including some weapons that rendered you unconscious, and left you with a pounding headache. He licked his lips then swallowed, trying to lubricate his dry throat.

"How's it going Rodney?"

His Navi turned from their own locked door and frowned. "It's nothing I've seen before, definitely not Krill. Without the data I…" He spread his hands.

"S'ok" John smiled. "Was worth a shot"

"I officially hate this place" Rodney scowled at the door before making his way back to John.

"Yeah, you and me both" Chuck ran a hand through his hair, his eye beginning to purple nicely. "And I really hate the word experimentation being bandied about, in my experience that is not a good thing to be threatened with"

His Pilot eyed him. "This happen often does it?"

"You'd be surprised"

Lorne rolled his eyes. "And you usually escape by.."

"Um, sheer luck? Having bigger guns? The cells were made from wood?"

"Idiot" Lorne grinned at him.

"Ford" Caldwell raised a brow. "Anything?"

The Captain shook his head and made his way to the bars that separated them. "Like McKay said, without past data of this tech we're blind. We can keep trying but they took anything that could help us. As all good crazy captors do"

Their squadron leader rolled his eyes. "I thought I was done with being locked up be creepy natives"

"I bet you've missed it really Sir" Ford grinned at him and got the finger in reply. "On a more serious note, you think these experiments could be why we can't pick up AR-1?"

"Could be" Caldwell ran a hand over his face. "Shit. We really need to get out of here"

"How about we just go with brute strength?" Mitchell raised a brow. "I mean all of us together has to have some weight behind it"

"I don't think these are just your average steel bars" Rodney moved back to his recently vacated spot by the door. "It feels different"

John nodded. "Yeah, its not cold. In fact I'm getting kinda warm like this"

"Then maybe you should stop leaning against them Sheppard?"

"Why, its nice. And a cold would really suck on top of being taken prisoner"

"You're a fucking idiot"

"Thank you" John smirked at his friend before straightening as the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears. They spread themselves around the cell, the next time the door was opened their guard was getting dragged in here with them and having the shit kicked out of him. He went for relaxed as the heavy wooden door swung open then he frowned, peering closer. He shot a look at his team as an unconscious man was dragged in by the shoulders, a smaller figure hunched over his prone body. Mitchell raised a brow. Caldwell shook his slightly, placing a finger to his lips.

Obviously finding whatever it was they were looking for in his pockets the figure straightened, hair falling back from their face.

"Uh.." John blinked at the familiar figure.

"Anna?" Mitchell stepped forward and she turned to face them. He hissed quietly. "What the hell?"

There was a thick black leather strap across her throat, the skin surrounding it looking distinctly red and swollen, she was filthy, her hair tumbling down in a knotted mass and minus most of her uniform. At least she'd managed to keep her vest top and BDU pants on, Mitchell looked like he was about to explode as it was.

"Long story" She waved a hand. "No time now" His Navi proffered a small metallic oblong."Ready to get outta here?"

"Yes, please" Chuck grinned at her. "Nice look for you"

She grinned back. "Thanks, I'm seriously considering keeping it"

"Not the time for wit Rayne" Caldwell glared at her. "You seen Laura on your travels?"

Anna nodded. "She's standing guard at the outer door"

"Has she got a new look too?"

"Shut up Chuck"

"Oh, yes Major"

Ford snorted quietly. "You'd make a good gate team"

"We haven't even gotten in the sky yet Captain, give us chance yeah?" John grinned at him, stepping from their cell. "Thank you Miss Rayne"

"My pleasure Colonel" She handed the key to Caldwell who went to release AR-2.

"Princess?" Mitchell tipped her head, turning it so he could look at her neck. "What is this?"

"Exactly what you think it is"

"Jesus. Why?"

"It was the easiest way to get them to trust me" She widened her eyes. "Please, I'm so lost, so hungry, blah, blah.."

"You're shitting me"

"Nope" Anna smiled before reaching into her boot and producing a knife. "Would you mind Cameron? I didn't want to risk doing it myself and its a little tight"

John watched his friend swallow, take the knife. "Want me to do it Mitch?"

"With your shakes, I don't think so"

"Hey, I'll have you know that's all fixed now" He winked at Rodney. "Promise"

"You're hilarious"

"Uh huh"

AR-2 joined them as Mitchell slid the blade gently under the very tight collar, a few cautious swipes finally causing the blade to snick through the leather. He peeled the material from her skin and John winced in sympathy at the bruising and grazes underneath.

"Ow" Anna scowled.

"Yeah, looks it Princess. Hope you killed him"

"Nope, just rendered him unconscious" Anna smiled up at him.

His friend pointed at the man on the floor. "Him?"

"Umhmm. No killing him Cameron"

"Why?" Her Pilot growled.

"No killing already unconscious people Mitchell" Caldwell raised a brow. "We'll come back when he's awake, then kill him. Now, I presume my Navi needs the same procedure"

Anna shook her head. "Nope, she's all collar free. Ran into her on my way down here. Think she's been down to the lower levels. Sounds pretty bad down there"

"I thought we were on the lower levels?" Ford frowned.

"Apparently not"

Relieving the prone guard of his gun and three knives they moved as quietly as the could through the door, Cadman turning to watch their progress from her post at the other set of doors that led back into the main castle. She smiled and nodded. "I was on my way I promise"

"Yeah, yeah. You want to stay on the dirty BDSM planet"

"Oh yeah, its my dream" She grinned at Chuck as her Pilot briefly examined her.

"How did you escape capture Laura, and Anna's fate?" Caldwell gestured to the other Navi's neck.

"Ouch" Laura wrinkled her nose. "I was by a small door when the guards spotted us. Slipped through and hoped it didn't open up into nothing, or the toilet"

Caldwell raised a brow. "You couldn't have taken a few of us with you?"

"You were my cover"

"Wow, that is so selfish"

"Yep" Another grin. "But moving on from my typical only child traits, the door actually led to a spiral staircase, really narrow, cut from stone. Not a place you want to come face to face with an enemy. Luckily it was deserted, I think they use some other way to get down there, it's probably an emergency exit or something" Her Pilot nodded. "Anyway when I finally reached the bottom I thought I'd just discovered some unused storage rooms and went to turn back, find you lot. But then I heard this noise. It was like a high pitched screech, with little clicks interspersed" Laura shivered a little. "Down there, in the near darkness it was actually a little creepy"

"However being a big brave marine I kept going. Once I spotted the first of the rooms I thought they would bring you down there too, figuring it was some kind of prison complex, maybe a bit of torture thrown in.." She paused as footsteps passed the still closed doors. Ford raised the gun he'd taken from the unfortunate guard but they appeared to continue past them, not hesitating. Laura dropped her voice a little lower. "There are prisoners down there, I found AR-1 but I couldn't get them out. Even if I could have I would have needed help, they're all unconscious, they don't look good"

"Shit" Whispered Ford.

"I watched them for a few minutes, they were all definitely breathing. Making a note of their position I continued down, still hoping to run into you guys" She licked her lips. "There were a few more occupied cells, all full of sleeping prisoners and then…there were like these holding cells, dropped into the ground. Electrified edges. All of them were empty bar one. I don't know what it is but it was what I'd heard on my arrival. It's big, size of a man, black, kinda shiny…"

"Shiny?"

"Yes, like a..bug"

"A giant bug?"

She nodded.

"Really?" Rodney eyed her.

"Really. I know it sounds ridiculous but that's the only way I can describe it. There were smaller bugs too, looked kinda similar. There are three rooms with them caged up, row upon row of them"

"Jesus, these people are mental"

"Agreed" Ford attempted a small snort. "Can you get us to AR-1?"

Laura nodded. "Yes, they'll need to be carried unless they've miraculously woken since I left"

"We should manage between us. Although the Satedan could be a problem"

"He'll be a dead weight"

"Yeah, and where do we go from there. Eight of us carrying four unconscious recently escaped prisoners is not going to be easy to hide"

"Um." Anna pulled the small device from her pocket. "We'll just need to get to the fourth level. Then I'll call us a cab"

 

Cameron threw a blanket over the two guards they had encountered on their way to the fourth floor, it seemed that in a shoot out against others with the same weaponry as them these people's training was seriously lacking. They had gotten too reliant on having the superior tech. He smiled slightly at the thought of the headache they'd have when they awoke, and the imagined reaction of Anna's brief Master when he discovered his collar fastened tightly around his own throat. His Navi's skin still looked really sore and he'd caught her wincing slightly earlier as she'd swallowed. If the bastard had done her any permanent damage he was coming back to personally kill him, orders or no orders.

"Mitchell?" Caldwell raised a brow, shifting slightly under the weight of the large Satedan. Thankfully when they'd returned to the cell Ronan had been half-conscious, his bigger mass obviously coping better with the effects of the stunners. He had needed only Caldwell's and Cameron's support either side of him, his steps becoming easier as they'd moved as stealthily as they could through the castle. "You ready?"

He nodded, stepping up onto the wide ledge that ran the length of the window, offering a hand to Ronan who took it, a little begrudgingly to Cameron's mind. Hauling him up at the same time as Caldwell pushed they both stumbled slightly into the back of the first Jumper, Sheppard's and Lorne's hands reaching out to steady them. They would have to collect the second craft from its hiding place near the gate before they dialled out. Settling in next to his Navi he tucked his feet in, away from the still prone bodies of the rest of AR-1.

As Caldwell moved to the front to sit beside McKay blankets were pulled from the top hatches and placed gently over the unconscious team, one wrapped over the shoulders of Ronan. He grumbled quietly.

"Don't be stubborn Ronan" Anna smiled at him. "You can be smug about being the first to wake at least"

Cam shared a quick grin with the man opposite him before Sheppard returned to watching his Navi. Their leader had murmured a request to his friend to have his Navi upfront in case his experience with the Jumpers was needed, receiving a subdued nod of agreement in reply. It was a sensible and straightforward request, and one that Caldwell had not actually been required to run past the other Pilot but it seemed the Colonel's experience in these matters, his understanding of the first shaky beginnings of a bonding Pilot and Navi, and an entire flight team meant he got the importance of it. A small gesture that showed respect.

"How you doing Ro? Need food? Some water?" Ford smiled tentatively at him.

"Water" Came the rumbled reply. "Please"

"Sure" The Captain smiled again, reaching above him for a bottle. "Here. Was it just the stunners?"

The Satedan nodded. "Yeah" He drained half the bottle. "Wasn't ready"

"I expect no one ever is big guy" Ford wedged himself between the floor and ceiling of the Jumper, a hand placed against the roof to steady himself as they set a course for the gate. "How many hits?"

Ronan almost imperceptibly shrugged. "Four, maybe five"

"Ouch" Anna briefly squeezed his hand. "Did you see the bugs?"

The Satedan frowned at her. "No. Heard something when I woke up the second time though"

She nodded. "Screeching, clicking?"

He nodded again. "Yeah"

"But you don't remember being in contact with them? Didn't wake up with any bites, itching?"

"Anna?" Cam frowned at her.

"That thing Cameron, the giant bug thing. I think it used to be human"

He and Anna had done a quick sweep of both the sunken holding cells and the bug rooms, the creature he'd seen had resembled a man in size only. The thing had pincers for fuck's sake. He raised a brow but Ford got in before him. "You do?"

She nodded. "It was scared, confused. A prisoner itself. And you said they talked about experiments"

"They're turning people into bugs? You really think so?"

"I can only tell you what I felt Aiden but I can't usually read animals, especially insect life. And I didn't get anything from that room full of the mini-me's"

"Well, that's certainly a new one if they are. But why, they raising a giant bug army or something?" The Captain frowned thoughtfully.

His Navi shrugged. "Like I said, I can only tell you what I feel"

"Yeah, ok" Ford nodded. "So Ro, any sign of a bug bite? Injection site?"

"Don't think so" Ronan shook off his blanket, checking his arms as Anna peered at his neck.

"Can't see anything"

"We'll get you a full check up anyway. Hopefully they hadn't gotten to you yet, were just keeping you unconscious" Ford swayed slightly as the Jumper came to a stop.

Sheppard stood, albeit cautiously, careful not to kick the still sleeping members of AR-1. "I'll take the other Jumper" He raised a brow at Caldwell who nodded.

"Take your Navi, I doubt we'll run into problems now but Anna and Mitchell stay put on this one"

The hatch closed behind AR-2, minus their leader but plus Sheppard, McKay, Lorne and Chuck. Ford took a seat. "Anything else you spotted?"

"The bug rooms.." And Cam forced himself not to shiver, the places had freaked him out. "…there was a lot of references to Iratus"

"The sun guy?"

He grinned. "That's Icarus dumbass" Ford flipped him off. "I'd take a guess that's what they've christened those little guys back there"

"Iratus" His Navi furrowed her brow. "It sounds..familiar"

"Yeah, wax wings, flying into the sun.." Ford smirked at her.

"Idiot" She rolled her eyes. "No, not Iratus" Anna chewed on her lip. "It wasn't that exact word…" She tilted her head. "Oh.."

"Oh" Cam twisted to look at her. "What's oh Princess?"

"Bayde, their leader. He spoke to me about this extinct race, the Itarayan"

"Oh" He smiled at her. "And?"

"They were changed, by the people who used to live on Atlantis, their DNA altered. They became these things called Wraith"

"Well, that sounds..strangely ominous" Ford eyed her. "These Wraith still around?"

His Navi shook her head. "No. Um, they teamed up with the Krill, that was how the original residents of the city were finally beaten. But then the Krill turned on them, took advantage of the hit they'd taken during the fighting. Bayde said the last Wraith died many moons ago"

"What is it with evil leaders and moons?"

Ford snorted. "So you think these bugs have something to do with the Itarayan people?"

"Maybe" She frowned again. "Or maybe they're to do with the Wraith, what the Itarayans became. He said that the Wraith would come back. That they'd save the galaxy from the Krill"

"He's trying to make Wraith, reproduce what the others did?" Ford sighed. "Great. I wonder how far away that giant bug thing was from the original"

"Pretty far away I think. It wasn't in that cell because it was a threat" Anna attempted to run fingers through her hair and quietly cursed as they got stuck. Cam snorted, she glared at him. "Bayde seems to have this perfect vision of a future with Wraith in it. But they sound like they were just as dangerous as the Krill. Apparently to survive they had to feed on your life force and he talked about them doing it through their hands"

"And bugs don't have hands. Nor did that thing back there"

"Right" Ford sighed again. "Awesome"

 

General Landry looked around his briefing table and sighed inwardly. His lead gate team looked exhausted, Captain Ford had a cut above his eye and grazes on his hands, Chuck Harrington was sporting a rather impressive shiner and Anna's throat was bruised and reddened. "Well, I think we can label that mission less than successful"

Colonel Carter snorted quietly. "Actually Sir despite the uh, physical side effects of our visit to MX4-972 we have managed to gather some information that could prove to be useful. Miss Rayne's talk with their leader has given us an interesting, and as yet undiscovered, version of what happened to the people who occupied the city before us"

"Ah yes, this Wraith" He tipped back in his chair. "Anna, please go over what was said for the benefit of us all"

She nodded and swallowed carefully. "He referred to the people who lived on Atlantis as the Ancients, from his words it sounds like they were trying to achieve another level of knowledge, ascend even but it came at at cost for other worlds in Pegasus. He mentioned one specifically, the Itarayan. According to him they were peaceful, wise, intent on discovering more about the galaxy through exploration. Until the Ancients got hold of them" She took a tentative sip of water. "Something went wrong with the experiments, changed their DNA, turning them into Wraith"

"The Wraith must have been pretty impressive. As soon as they joined the Krill the war turned in their favour until eventually they ran the last surviving Ancients out of their city. But then the Krill turned on them, and because they'd taken such a heavy hit in the fight the Wraith couldn't withstand another attack so soon. They were destroyed, wiped out"

"We think the Ancients are the same as those the Earth based teams keep hearing rumours about Sir" Carter leant forward. "If so it could explain what happened to them, where they ran to"

Hank raised a brow. "Earth?"

She nodded. "Yes Sir. If this is true it may finally give us a full understanding of the ATA gene. The Atlantis Tech Activation gene is only present in a minority of the human race, we thought it was some kind of anomaly but with this new information, and if we're correct in our assumptions, it could mean that those with it are directly descended form the Ancients"

"So their genetic make-up allows them to live in the city just as their ancestors did?"

"Yes Sir" She took a gulp of coffee. "And fly the Vipers, the Jumper's"

"But if they're long gone why do the Earth teams keep hearing about them?"

"I don't know Sir" She shrugged. "Maybe they actually achieved ascension or maybe they moved on, settled on a different planet"

"After knocking up a few humans?"

Hank hid his grin behind a mug whilst Major Lorne sighed. "Chuck, shut up"

"Never" The Navi grinned at his Pilot who glared back.

Carter cleared her throat, wiping the small smirk from her face. "With our weeks downtime Radek and I will search the databases using the new information and the references Wraith, Itarayan and Ancient. If Bayde was telling the truth they surely must be detailed somewhere in the older logs"

Hank rubbed his chin. "Ronan, Miss Emmagan, you've heard no stories of these Wraith, the Ancients?"

The two Pegasus natives shook their head. "Both Ronan and I have spoken about this new information. For us the Krill have always been the threat, there was never any mention of these Wraith. Perhaps it is not surprising if they did indeed die out so many years ago. Even the memory of Atlantis had faded in the minds of our people, it's occupants long forgotten" Teyla smiled. "A pity, perhaps we could have benefitted much from their knowledge"

"Perhaps or perhaps you were one of the more fortunate" He smiled gently at her before turning back to include the rest of the table in his next question. "And what do we want to do about these people who seemingly want to bring the Wraith back, and who attempted to turn AR-1 into giant bugs, we think?"

Carter smiled slightly. "From the brief description that Anna was given I would say the Wraith would be a viable threat to the Krill should Bayde succeed with his experiments but they would also threaten our presence in Pegasus. If we are indeed descendants of the Ancients, and their original enemy, I doubt they would view us a potential allies"

Anna nodded. "And he definitely views them with rose-tinted glasses. His people will not have actually seen a Wraith for many generations, they have become a sort of infatuation, a solution to a problem. He sounded very…focused on their eventual return"

"Then we put a stop to it?" He raised a brow.

"He still seems to be pretty far away from his end goal Sir. But he is also using people in these experiments, keeping them locked up, altering their very DNA" Carter frowned. "I think we go back. At least remove the Iratus bugs"

He tapped his pen on the table. "Agreed. Who knows how many have already been subject to these experiments, it sounds like he has been doing this for a long time" Hank nodded at his Military Commander. "We have some time. Rest, do your research. We'll schedule a military coup for a fortnight's time"

 

Cam pulled on sweats and stepped out of the bathroom, stopping as he caught sight of his Navi peering under her bed. He raised a brow. Anna straightened and ran her fingers over the edge of the bedside before opening a drawer, giving it's insides the same intense perusal. "Lost something Princess?"

She jumped slightly and slammed shut the drawer. "No"

He frowned. "Then why the thorough search of your room?"

"Um, actually yes. I lost a uh, earring"

"An earring?"

"Umhmm" Anna smiled up at him. "Are you done in the shower cause I still smell of the BDSM planet"

Cam sighed. "Please stop calling it that"

"But it was"

He glared at her. "Well then you should have taken me up on my offer of a shared shower. And you don't wear earrings"

"Yes I do" She looked at him through her lashes. "I'm hurt you haven't noticed"

"Quit it baby" The only reason he hadn't pushed the shower was because despite the jokes currently flying between the squad members about the place they'd just visited he was actually a little concerned about his Navi's 'collaring'. He inwardly grimaced at the word. He still wasn't sure how far Anna's submission went but it had never been something he'd particularly felt the urge to do even with his little possessive streak. However if it was a secret desire of his Navi's today could really affect the progress she'd been making.

Cam sat on the edge of the bed, tugging her to stand between his legs. "You must be tired baby girl, your lying isn't as good as it usually is" He smirked up at her scowl. "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing" Anna folded her arms across her chest.

"Anna.." He eyed her. The bruises were darkening nicely around her throat, he pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing resignedly. "Ok baby. You go have your shower. You want a hot drink?"

"Really?"

"Really" He pressed a soft kiss to her stomach and, yeah, his Navi really did still smell of that fucking place. "I just worry baby. But it's been a long day, I get it. Go get clean, I'll make coffee, stick a movie on ok?"

She stared down at him and sometimes Cameron really wished he had her empathic skills, her face could still be frustratingly blank when she wanted it to be. Anna nodded. "Ok Cameron, thank you"

"S'ok Anna. I'm always here"

She nodded silently and turned away, padding over to the small en suite. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again before grabbing his tee, pulling it over his head. Flicking on the coffee machine he moved to the desk, opening up the laptop and scrolling down the list of movies that sat on the city's newer databases. Selecting one that was between his and her preferences Cam poured two mugs as he heard the shower shut off. Dumping a load of cream and sugar into his Navi's coffee he turned to see her throw back the comforter and lower herself gently onto the bed.

"You ok Princess?" He raised a brow, making his way over.

"Yes, why?" Anna nodded her thanks as he handed over her drink.

"The way you're moving…was it just the collar? Did he hurt you?" Cam perched on the edge, pushing some damp hair from her face.

"No, just a quick scuffle for his gun" She smiled over her mug. "His skills sucked for a guard"

"And you probably took him by surprise"

"You could say that" Another smile. "And I am awesome"

"Uh huh" He manoeuvred himself further onto the bed, propping his back against the wall. Luckily there hadn't been much call for hand to hand fighting but the bloody stunners left a nasty hangover, and he ached from being dumped into the cell in an unnatural position whilst unconscious. "If it was anything more than the collar I won't be angry baby girl, I understand what you were doing, and appreciate it. It was an impressive move, even if it was also a risky one"

"It wasn't anything more, I just needed access to the cells, that's all" She let him pull her closer. "I wouldn't have let him, would have found another way"

Cam pushed away the stomach churning images. "Ok baby, just…don't sit on anything that's bothering you ok?"

His Navi nodded, took a sip of drink. "Ok Cameron" She coughed. "Ow"

He frowned at her. "What did Carson say about your throat Anna?" Cam had been subject to his own invasive check-up at the same time as Anna's, he'd still been able to keep an eye on her but she'd been too far away for him to hear what was said.

"No permanent damage, no infection. Just to rest it as much as I could and take my painkillers"

"And have you taken your painkillers Princess?" There was a pause. "Anna?"

She wriggled against him slightly then grumbled. "They're huge Cameron"

Cam tried to bite back the grin and got an elbow to his side. "Hey!"

"It's not funny"

"Not laughing baby"

"Yes you are" She scowled into her coffee.

He tipped her head so he could smile down at her. "If anyone else said that you'd laugh"

"Would not"

"Yes, you would" He brushed his lips over hers. "Where are they?"

"Not telling you"

"Don't be a child" She stuck her tongue out. He rolled his eyes. "Where are they?"

Anna stared at him for a moment then sighed. "In the drawer on your side"

"Very clever"

"Thank you"

Shooting her a quick look Cam leant over and slid open the drawer, taking out the plastic bottle. Removing the lid he shook a tablet out into his hand. "Huh, well, I'll give you that one baby girl" How Carson expected someone with a severely bruised throat to swallow that was beyond him. He examined it then placed it on the side, pushing off the bed to get his knife from the holster that was still tangled with his discarded BDU's. Sitting back on the edge of the bed he carefully snicked the end off the tablet and poured it's contents into her coffee. Checking the prescription label he repeated his actions. "Drink up Princess"

"Thank you" Anna took another cautious sip, settling back again.

"Welcome" He opened the drawer again and retrieved the whisky bottle, doctoring his own drink with some self medication.

"Don't I get some too?"

"Not with those drugs in your system Anna" He placed the bottle on the bedside and scooted up next to her. "And this is purely medicinal, not all of us got given the nice strong painkillers"

"Not all of us escaped without a scratch"

"Hey, I'll have you know I got shot"

"And took a lovely nap"

"Being stunned does not equate to taking a nap baby" He pressed a kiss to her hair. "And I'm too old to lie in that kind of position for so long"

She grinned into her coffee. "What are you now, like forty?"

"Pushing it, and you know full well I am nowhere near forty"

"Nearer than I am"

"I'm glad to hear that your little adventure today hasn't dampened your wit" He took a gulp, enjoying the whisky laced coffee travelling down his throat, warming his insides.

"Thank you"

Cam rolled his eyes to the world in general before half-focusing on the movie being quietly played out on the laptop. Anna shifted a little, placing her empty mug on the bedside and stifling a yawn. "You want me to turn this off baby girl?"

She shook her head. "No, it's nice to have a little background noise"

Anna curled in next to him, legs tangling with his, head resting on his chest. He brought his arm round so he could run fingers through the now tangle free but still damp waves. "No plaits tonight?"

"Cant be bothered"

"Do you want me to do it?"

"Can you plait?"

"I can try"

"You can stay away from my hair then"

He grinned down at the top of her head. "Well, I'll look forward to seeing your morning hair then"

"I have awesome morning hair"

 

Rodney scrolled through the information being displayed for him on his screen. He'd tried every trick he knew to try to trace where the images of Anna in the Viper Bay had come from but it just kept leading him back to Atlantis's mainframe. He frowned at his tablet, silently cursing out the city in general. Running a hand through his hair he shot a look at the man next to him, his Pilot was stretched out on the bed seemingly asleep, still wrapped in just the towel he'd slung round his hips after his shower. John's face was relaxed, his breathing even and shallow, fingers laced together and resting upon his chest.

Placing his tablet off to the side Rodney twisted, propping his head in his hand so he could look down at his Pilot, eyes taking in the details of the body that was slowly becoming as familiar to himself as his own. It had been only a week since he'd first met his Pilot but he couldn't imagine ever meeting someone who he was better matched to, or who he would find as entrancing. Once again the tests seemed to have proved themselves very efficient. Rodney tilted his head a little, gaze sliding over the towel, white starkly contrasting with the tanned skin covered with a light dusting of dark hair. Strong thighs, tight calves, the silver scar on John's knee that Rodney now knew he'd gotten falling off his first horse when he was a boy.

He also now knew his Pilot had a rather high sex drive and a tendency to act upon his desires almost immediately, Rodney was becoming increasingly familiar with the storage cupboards on their level of the city. He smiled gently, reaching out a hand before hesitating. The urge he'd had to touch the other man that first night was still there but it seemed John was still working on the premise that his Navi was nervous, didn't know what he wanted, wasn't sure what to do and so was still taking the lead. Rodney had been spoilt for attention these past few days and had been subject to some very interesting..moves.

But being a virgin at thirty-five meant Rodney had a lot of time to think about what he did want, in either the giving or receiving context, and he'd also watched a lot of porn. There had also been that very frustrating summer of being a member of some chat room where other men had described in intricate detail what they wanted him to do to them but had never actually been present for him to be able to do it. Rodney knew what he liked, was pretty sure he knew what other men liked, and now the fear of not knowing the reality had disappeared he was starting to get..well, specific urges.

His eyes flickered up to the long thin window set into the wall of his quarter's, the sun had set fully now but there were no stars to be seen. It was pitch black, no light being sent through the glass. Licking his lips nervously at the beginnings of an idea he requested the lights be dimmed, he'd probably enjoy this a lot more whilst being able to hide a little. If he'd learnt just one thing about his Pilot it was that the man liked to watch, and sometimes it made Rodney want to squirm away, or hide under the covers.

Draining the last of his whisky in one gulp he shifted back to his side, careful not to cause the bed to shift too much. Exhaling quietly, if a little shakily, he slid lower and looked down the body next to him so he couldn't see his Pilot's face and John wouldn't be able to see his then he reached out again, gently trailing his fingers up the nearest muscled thigh. Splaying his fingers wider they dipped under the bottom of the towel, cool cotton above his hand, warm skin underneath his palm. His thumb brushed the crease that ran down the inside of his Pilots thigh.

Rodney swallowed but kept up his slow stroking movements, the breathing above his head staying steady and quiet. It was going to be highly embarrassing if John slept through this. He pushed on with his exploration, skimming over a hip bone, running over the inviting V at the base of his Pilot's toned stomach. The towel loosened slightly, falling open as Rodney slid his hand across and down, travelling to the other leg, gently tickling at the fine hairs. There was a slight twitch of a knee and Rodney strained his ears but the room was still filled with only the sound of their breaths. John's shallow, his own a little raspier.

Still skirting the place which he was pretty sure would cause his Pilot to fully wake Rodney shifted again, gently catching at the towel so his Pilot was now completely exposed, open to whatever Rodney chose to do, however far he wanted to take this. He licked his lips, reassuring himself that John would never push him to do anything he was uncomfortable with, reminding himself how much trust he had for the other man. He sat up cross-legged, still with his back to his Pilot's face but at an angle where he could see and reach everything.

John was half-hard now but Rodney knew all too well that part of a mans body could operate quite well without any brain function needed, the small touches would have been enough to at least wake up his dick if not the rest of him. He stretched out his hand again, trying to quell the slight shake as he made the first light touch to the other man's balls. They were loose and soft, the heat of John's body pouring off them. Rodney swallowed and increased the pressure of his caress, rubbing over them gently. The dick in front of him twitched slightly on his Pilot's stomach and there was a near imperceptible hitch in the breathing behind him.

Trying not to picture what was going on nearer the head of the bed he switched to soft cupping and rolling movements, other hand wrapping fingers round the nearly fully erect dick, lifting it from John's belly, lightly squeezing and stroking. Rodney couldn't believe that despite all the sex he'd been having this was the first chance he'd gotten to touch his Pilot like this, take his time, explore how it felt. He lengthened his strokes, wondering how the dick in his hand could feel so powerful yet also so fragile at the same time, and so different from his own. The skin was soft but underneath it was hard and getting harder, little pulses under his palm.

A quiet moan signalled his Pilot's wakefulness but John still said nothing, didn't even reach out for a touch. Rodney gave thanks for the other man apparently knowing what he needed, or for being a lazy bastard and just sitting back to enjoy. Although to be fair it had been his Pilot doing most of the work lately, Rodney figured he was entitled to a little selfish pleasure. In the dim light he watched with fascination as the foreskin slid back and forth over the head of the dick in his hands with every stroke, the way it seemed to swell under his every touch, enjoyed the sound of the slightly heavier breathing of his Pilot.

He ran his thumb over the exposed head now slick with moisture, dipped into the sensitive skin that sat just below it. His Pilot's hips twitched, a small puff of air escaping from the other mans mouth as he did it again. Rodney filed that useful piece of information away for later before dipping his head on the next downstroke, tongue darting out to gather a quick taste. There was another gentle appreciative moan and John's legs spread a little further apart. With the intoxicating taste of his Pilot still sitting in his mouth Rodney took it as a silent invitation and moved between them.

"Baby, you sure?" The words were whispered, obviously being careful not to destroy the mood Rodney had going on, but the strain behind them was clear.

He wondered what would happen if he backed off now. Not that he had any intention of doing that. He'd obsessed over this long enough, jerked off in the shower to the fantasy of having his Pilot's dick in his mouth too many times to turn back. Rodney nodded, keeping his eyes lowered, not sure what he'd see if he looked up. "Yes" He murmured, then slid his lips over the head of John's dick and sucked gently. He could feel the body heat, smell the musk combined with his Pilot's shower gel, and the dick in his mouth was sticky and salty…and perfect.

Rodney flicked his tongue over that sensitive spot and a long low moan came from above him. Releasing John from his mouth Rodney pressed a wet kiss to the exact same spot before scooting down further so he could look up and see very detail of the dick in front of him. Ignoring it for now Rodney began to run long, slow, lazy licks over the inside of his Pilot's thighs, soft open-mouthed kisses, enjoying the smell and the feel of the other man's skin. As he once again moved upwards he placed his open mouth on one ball, then the other, more kisses and licks as John began to moan quietly again. Propping himself back up on one elbow Rodney wrapped his hand around his dick so he could return to running slick trails with his tongue under the head.

His Pilot stiffened in his grasp and drew in a long breath. "God, that's good baby" He sighed and spread his legs further apart.

Rodney was surprised that now he was over the first hurdle, so to speak, he felt pretty comfortable and confident. His Pilot was making all the right noises and was as hard as a rock in his grasp, and Rodney was taking a lot from the fact he knew how all of this felt being dealt out on his own dick. And ok so they all had their little weaknesses, some secret favourite move that he probably wouldn't know yet, but he'd consider his first blow job a success if he could just keep making John make those little noises, and there was an eventual happy ending.

He replaced his tongue with a loose circle of his fingers, small slides up and down the head whilst he ran his tongue down the rest of the shaft before pursing his lips against the velvet skin and sucking gently. John hummed contentedly. Rodney frowned, he didn't want contented, at least not yet, he wanted more of those moans and groans, was greedy for them, addicted already. Rifling through his memory banks he pulled back, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue, placing it along the underside of his Pilot's dick. Firming up his hold on John he slid his dick back and forth across his tongue, and was rewarded with a soft moan, the muscles in the other man's body flexing and relaxing in an involuntary rhythm.

John's breathing became heavier and heavier. "That…feels so good baby"

Unable to actually answer his Pilot, and not sure if he was supposed to anyway Rodney just treated him to a few more slides before going back to his previous position, propped on his elbows, face over his dick. Thoroughly wetting the head with his tongue he then opened up his mouth wide again but this time taking him inside, moaning at his taste, the weight of him on his tongue. Unsure how much of his Pilot's dick he could take in especially for his first time Rodney slid his mouth slowly down, stopping when he'd managed to engulf a little over half and he felt so full he wasn't sure he was going to be able to give any kind of extra pleasure with his tongue. He groaned quietly and John twitched in his mouth. Rodney would have grinned if was able, the vibrations must have travelled through the dick in his mouth.

He inhaled through his nose then hummed. John groaned and Rodney was rewarded with a small burst of taste. He felt the pre-cum dribble down his throat and he quickly tried to swallow, he didn't think a coughing fit would have quite the same effect as a hum. Realising he had, for now, hit his limit Rodney began to move, clasping the base of John's dick he slid up and down, trying to put a little suction in when he could. This was obviously a skill that needed much practice, and coordination. His Pilot's body started to squirm around him, feet sliding up and down the bed. He was moaning and his breathing was deep and rapid.

As wonderful as having his Pilot seemingly at his mercy for the moment was Rodney's jaw was starting to ache and he didn't want to accidentally catch his teeth on the sensitive skin. He pulled off and went back to licking his dick all over, there was a small groan which he wasn't sure was from pleasure or disappointment, or frustration. He moved down further, licking at the balls that were now hot and high, pulled tight. He sucked on one gently then the other before moving to nuzzle into the crease of His Pilot's thigh, enjoying the muskiness, the way John flinched as Rodney nipped at the sensitive juncture.

Once again taking his Pilot's dick in hand Rodney ran a slick stripe up its underside, stiffening his tongue as he reached that wonderful little spot below the head, flicking over it before running a firm circle all around the head. John groaned again. "Baby…"

Taking that as a warning that maybe Rodney needed to get the fuck on with it he once again engulfed the first couple of inches, flooding his mouth with saliva as best he could, surrounding the dick in his mouth with warm and wet. Sucking down the spit he pulled more of John in, moving his tongue over him as best he could, letting it sneak out and dart over the part that he couldn't quite fit in. The second time he did it his Pilot shuddered a little, knees arching off the bed. The other man was close. John drew in a breath. "Pull off if you need to baby"

And so his Pilot had given him permission to bow out now if he wanted, or to avoid having to swallow down his cum, but right now Rodney couldn't think of anything he'd rather do. Shaking his head as best he could he rose up, gathered the clear liquid that was smeared over the head, pooled in the small open slit, and hummed again. John quietly cursed and he could just about see his Pilot's hand fist the sheets. Not wanting John to lose his momentum towards what Rodney hoped would be a decent orgasm he immediately took him in again.

Settling into a rhythm of drawing the skin of his Pilot's dick in as he took him deeper and them pulling it slowly tight as he moved his mouth up the shaft Rodney listened to the breaths that were coming in short gulps and gasps. Finally braving a look up he almost stopped his movements in surprise. John had pulled a couple more pillows under his head and he was watching him with an expression of sublime amazement, almost like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, or feeling. Those beautiful eyes that were now dark and heavy lidded met his before sliding down so could John could see his own dick moving in and out of Rodney's mouth. He licked his lips and groaned again. "Damn baby.." He whispered.

Rodney moaned long and low again before sucking even harder. His Pilot's head dropped back and his body tensed then rolled, legs flexing either side of him. John sucked in one long breath and blew it out again with one long moan of release. Rodney tried to remain relaxed as the dick in his mouth became impossibly harder and the head swelled large, the slickness of pre-cum filled his mouth, coated John's dick. He reached down as best he could and stroked over his balls. His Pilot gasped again and arched up, his dick throbbing before the first stream of thick liquid shot into Rodney's mouth.

John drew in another breath, holding it for a second before another groan of pleasure escaped his lips, more of his cum hit the back of Rodney's throat, he tried not to choke, to hold it in until his Pilot was done. The other man thrust gently up and another, lesser, spurt of cum joined the rest of his release and he shuddered, moaning quietly as once more his dick pulsed and the last of his climax dribbled into Rodney's, now quite full, mouth. He gently slid off his Pilot, trying to keep as much of his release as possible in his mouth, swallowing quickly as soon as he could. He loved the taste of his Pilot but the texture was a little…well, it would take some getting used to.

He licked his lips, that surely wasn't bad for a first go, even if he did have the benefit of Anna's, rather graphic, description and the experience of being on the receiving end of quite a few awesome blow jobs this week.

"C'mere baby" Rodney looked up at his Pilot who was lazily sprawled out on his pillows still, hand gesturing him to move up the bed. Crawling from between his legs Rodney moved up, stretching out beside him. John rolled his eyes and tugged him over. "Here idiot"

As his Pilot languorously sought out his own taste in the depths of Rodney's mouth the Navi moaned quietly, rubbing his hard-on over the thigh between his legs. Now he just had to hope that his awesome (John's word) blow job hadn't done him out of sex tonight, or at least some kind of reciprocation.

 

Chuck peered at his reflection in the small mirror and sighed quietly, there were two types of black eye, one that drew admiring looks and one that made people visibly wince when they saw you. And this was definitely shaping up to be a fine example of the latter. He prodded it gently then groaned, yeah nice move Harrington. Grabbing the washcloth he'd soaked in cold water he wandered back out into his quarters. He looked around and sighed again, his decidedly empty quarters.

His Pilot had stuck to him like glue whilst they were off world and Chuck had even decided to be a little grateful for the punch to the face as Evan had fussed over him in the Jumper, cupping his chin and gently examining him before handing over a cold compress. He'd then been subject to an even more enjoyable and thorough examination as his Pilot had checked for other injuries, quietly asking if he needed anything, if there was pain anywhere. Chuck had just wordlessly shook his head, surprised at this sudden contact from a man who had gone out of his way to avoid it for the past week.

But once the Doc had cleared him, handing over some aspirin and telling him to rest, Evan had become distant again, escorting him to his quarters, telling Chuck to radio if he felt unwell before turning on his heels and disappearing down the corridor. Pressing the cloth to his aching face Chuck wondered if being a big self-pitying girl who'd quite like to snuggle up with their Pilot after being stunned and then punched in the face counted as feeling unwell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting this chapter from my brain and on to paper (or screen) was akin to pulling teeth! I hope it wasn't too much of a mish mash and read ok. Thank you for taking the time to read through my fic so far and I hope you got some pleasure from it. Now I'm off for a lie down before starting Chapter 4!
> 
> * I changed ATA to stand for Atlantis Tech Activation as they're only just discovering the Ancients in this AU. Just in case anyone picked up on it and thought it was an accidental mistake!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually prefer to leave any notes at the end of my chapters but I wanted to place a warning about the mention of abuse in this one. It isn't sexual, just some violence and verbal, and it's only mentioned for about two paragraphs but I do like to make sure I mention anything like this, just in case.
> 
> On a lighter note there's a McShep scene as promised in there too, with maybe a slight twist. Hope you enjoy and please leave feedback, good or bad. Thank you for visiting my fic  
> :-)

Three days later.

Cameron groaned quietly. "Princess, go away" There was another poke to his side, tickling fingers up his ribs. He opened his eyes and scowled up at her. Anna was fully dressed and smiling down at him, coffee mug clasped in her hand. His eyes flickered to the clock by their bed. He groaned again. "0530? Seriously?"

"I want to show you something Cameron" Another smile. "And I made you coffee"

He sighed. There had not been enough sleep sandwiched between last nights poker game and this mornings wake up call. "Baby girl.."

The smile wavered slightly. "Please.."

He eyed his Navi. "It's important?"

Anna nodded. "And I missed it last year"

Cam raised a brow.

She shifted slightly. "Cause I was, you know, in the infirmary"

He scrubbed over his face and sat up, holding his hand out for the coffee. "Ok baby, do I have time for a shower?"

The smile was back. "Thank you" She chewed her lip. "We have to go in ten minutes"

"Jesus" He waved her away from the bed and threw back the comforter. "Fine, I'll drink this in there"

As he stood she went up on tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thank you Cameron"

"Yeah, yeah" He tried not to smile indulgently back at her. "This had better be good"

Standing under the hot spray whilst practically mainlining his coffee he winced at his slightly pounding head. He was seriously going to have to work on his drinking limits if he was going to continue to socialize with Dr McKay, the man was like a bottomless pit when it came to whisky, even Anna had been a little unsteady on her feet when they'd finally left. And his Navi could drink. Placing his empty mug on the floor of the shower he rolled his neck a couple of times and dumped a load of shower gel in his hands.

Giving himself a cursory rub over and promising his abused body a longer shower later Cam stepped out and grabbed a towel, slinging it around his hips. Stepping out into the bedroom he grinned at the sight of his Navi bouncing up and down on her heels, her back to him, looking out the window. He snatched up his BDU pants. "Where we going Princess?"

Anna turned and smiled back. "Outside"

He raised a brow before pulling his tee over his head. "Just us?"

"Probably not"

Sitting down to lace up his boots he tried to subtly look her over. Anna had only had two nightmares since their first night together which was a hell of a lot better than he'd been predicting, and none after their little adventure off world which had surprised him even more, but the other day he'd turned to say something to her as they were walking down a corridor only to realise she'd stopped a few feet behind him. His Navi had been staring blankly at the wall in front of her, seemingly oblivious to his voice and the people passing her. Waving off a couple of concerned personnel he'd stood behind her trying to fathom just what the hell she was staring at. The surface was smooth, free from any markings or writing.

Whilst he'd been trying to decide whether to risk shaking her out of it himself she'd brought herself back, blinking slowly before stepping back from the wall, straight into him. She'd jumped and flinched away. It had taken him all day to get her to stop laughing it off and actually tell him what had caused her to slip away from him so easily. Apparently some Pilot who had been compromised during a brief imprisonment with the Krill had taken a pot shot at Sumner.

He and Anna really had been making huge progress in the war before he'd died, enough for them to become known to their enemy despite being shut away in their Viper. The wall had taken the bullet and Anna had taken him down before he could get another shot off but Cameron could imagine the panic and fear that had ingrained the event in her memory, freezing her up whilst she was still raw from confronting her grief. He tied off his last lace and his hand was instantly grabbed, pulling him off the bed. "Anna.."

"Come on, I don't want to be late"

"And you call me bossy"

She rolled her eyes. "You are"

He was tugged towards the door. "Hey"

Anna turned and sighed. "What now?"

Cam raised a brow. "Careful baby girl"

She glared at him and he yanked her back towards him. "Hey!"

He grinned down at her. He couldn't have been more than five minutes in the shower. Sliding a hand into her hair Cam pulled her up and into a kiss, moaning quietly as she parted her lips for him. Wrapping his other arm around her waist he pulled her closer, intensifying his attentions on her mouth. As his Navi slid her arms round his neck he moved his hands so he could raise her off the floor by her arse, with the vague idea of turning round and taking her back to bed. Anna wriggled and pulled her head away. "No"

He smiled lazily at her. "No, what?"

"I know where you're going Cameron"

"Yeah, outside" He thickened his accent deliberately.

"Exactly. Put me down" She scowled at him.

He nipped at her lip before lowering her back to the floor. "Tease"

"You started it" His hand was grabbed again. "Now we're going to be even more late"

"Baby, you're always late" He was dragged into the corridor and nearly slammed into Sheppard. "Jesus, Anna.."

The other Pilot grinned at him. "At least I'm not the only one"

Cam flipped him off. "Any idea why I'm out here instead of in there.." He gestured to the door he'd just been pulled through with surprising strength. "..getting some"

"Nope, but I'm guessing its the same reason I'm not as well"

They followed the disappearing figures of their Navi's. "No Lorne?"

"He's already there apparently"

Huh" They eyed the people slowly emerging from the doors to the living accommodation. "What the hell is this?"

"Well, there's no alarm ringing so I think we're safe"

Cam rolled his eyes. "Must be pretty special. Anna said she missed it last year"

Sheppard raised a brow. "She did?"

"Infirmary" He murmured.

"Ah" His friend dropped his voice. "Everything ok?"

He shrugged. "Seems to be"

"You're a man of many words Mitch"

"Bite me" He jumped as a hand wrapped round his wrist. Turning to the side he looked questioningly at his Navi who was stood at the edge of another corridor, one that was free of the crowds steadily moving towards the mess.

"This way" She smiled. "Less crowded"

"You know we could have just made out in the room"

Sheppard snorted beside him. Anna rolled her eyes. "Hilarious. Come on. Rodney's this way too"

"I've never been a fan of double dating, kinda creepy"

"Do you Pilots take a special class to be this funny or is it a sign-up requirement?"

"Ouch, your Navi's on form today Mitch"

"Tell me about it"

They grinned at her as she glared at them then spun on her heels and made her way down the corridor. Following Anna as she turned left Cam frowned. He didn't recognise this part of the city.

"It's not really used, when they first got here it was full of water"

"I heard a lot of it was"

Anna nodded at Sheppard before ordering the doors in front of them open. Cam stepped out behind her. "Huh, cool" He looked out over the railings. They were on a small balcony that sat above the pier where other groups were gathering and just below them the catwalk that ran around the mess was steadily filling up too. He turned and nodded at Lorne who was already propped in the corner, looking a little bleary eyed and holding a coffee. "You get kicked out of bed too?"

For a moment his friends gaze flickered to his Navi who was hunched over the railings, face turned away from them, then he was focusing back on Cameron. "Yeah, in a way"

He raised a brow and opened his mouth to reply when there was more tugging on his sleeve. "Anna, will you quit doing that"

His Navi grinned up at him. "Nope. Come here, it'll start soon"

Lorne huffed a quiet laugh and moved forward to stand next to Chuck. "Is there going to be a fly past or something?"

"Without us?" Sheppard peered round and grinned at him.

"You're not official yet Colonel"

"But I am.."

"Awesome" His Navi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we know"

Cam snorted. "None of us should be up this early" He moved behind Anna, gripping the railings, boxing her in, and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Just wake me when it starts"

"These young people, they have no stamina" He twisted his head to glare at their squadron leader. Caldwell smiled back. "Good morning Colonel Mitchell, feeling delicate are we?"

"Shouldn't you be down with the masses?"

The other Colonel flipped him off, guiding his Navi in front of him and to an empty space at the railings. "Who do you think found this place?"

"Um, I did" Anna smirked at her old friend.

"No way, I did"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Did not"

"Princess, please shut the fuck up"

"Told you he was grumpy in the morning"

"Uh huh" Laura nodded.

They all turned their heads as the doors slid open again. Colonel Carter looked around. "Great, now I'm going to have to find a new VIP viewing area"

"Oh come on, we're very important" Rodney smiled at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're great"

"Um, Sam, is there a problem?" An accented voice drifted through from the corridor behind her.

"Some peasants have managed to find their way up here" She grinned at Rodney and winked, stepping forward. "Shift up then"

As they made room for the rest of AR-1 and, moments later, General Landry Cam wondered if he was actually still tucked up in bed and having the most surreal dream since the one with the robotic spiders. The real thing still freaked him out to this day after that delightful nightmare.

"Cameron.."

He refocused on Anna. "Yeah?"

"It's starting, look.." His Navi pointed out over the ocean.

Following her finger his gaze skimmed over the ocean, still a slight orange pink colour from the reflection of the last of the three suns rising. Small black dots began to appear on the horizon then disappear again, at the same time as the biggest of the suns, Surya, began to seemingly undulate, it's surface rippling, sparking. He strained his eyes, squinting slightly in the face of the ever brightening star which was also causing the water to reflect an even more blinding light. The dots reappeared again and this time they were closer.

Cameron's eyes began to water a little and he wished his Navi had told him to pick up a pair of shades before coming out here. He looked sideways along the railings, everyone else also seemed to be shielding their eyes whilst still trying to look at what was turning into a rather beautiful sunrise. Then Surya rose higher above their planet and while it still rippled and shot bright streams from its surface the light dimmed enough for him to refocus on the ocean. Amongst the still pink tinged waves the black dots began to surface once more and he leant forward slightly, smiling as he realised what he was seeing. "Whales.."

"Umhmm" Anna nodded, still watching the ocean. "Every year Surya flares and the whales come. No one knows why"

He rested his chin back on her shoulder as the animals drew closer. "Are they like our whales?"

"As far as we can tell" Colonel Carter twisted her head to smile at him. "We'd like to get marine biologists out here but at the moment…"

"The war takes everything"

She nodded sadly. "Yeah. But we still enjoy watching them every year. And they never let us down" She looked back out over the water which was starting to slosh over the sides of the pier as the whales drew closer, a crowd near to the edge getting a soaking as one a few yards out launched half of it's body out of the ocean before diving back in.

"There must be hundreds of them" Rodney frowned. "Where do they come from? And why here? Why only when..?"

"Baby, that's enough" His Pilot grinned at him. "Leave a little mystery in the world ok genius?"

His Navi rolled his eyes. "But don't you want to know?"

"No" Sheppard shrugged. "Its pretty"

"You are such a girl. Ow!" Rodney glared at him. "Ow"

"Now, now children. No hair pulling during the pretty sunrise"

Cam snorted as Sheppard rolled his eyes at their leader. "He called me a girl"

"Well I didn't like to say.." Caldwell smirked at him and got the finger in reply.

"I see we're all bonding nicely before your first run" Sam grinned at them, Ronan doing the same over her head.

"We're all planning on shooting Steven out of the sky the minute we're off radar" Anna smiled innocently over at them.

Ronan snorted.

"Hey!" Laura frowned. "I'm on that Viper too remember?"

"Two birds with one stone"

"Bite me Chuck"

"You are going to make a wonderful team" Teyla leant forward to smile at them. "Your care for each other is clear to see"

They all stared at her.

"Please, that is so disturbing"

"And gross"

"They're so annoying"

The Athosian smiled serenely back at them, eyes running over Cam briefly before turning back to the view. "As you wish" She murmured.

Shaking the feeling he'd just been turned inside out and read better than Anna ever could he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you for the wake up call Princess" He kept his voice low, squeezing gently.

"Welcome Cameron" She laced her fingers through his keeping her eyes fixed on the water. The whales were certainly putting on one hell of a show and now they were starting to sing to each other, the water surrounding the city almost black with their bodies and the air filled with their voices. She shivered slightly in his grasp.

He bent his head so he could whisper in her ear. "You ok Anna?" Cam guessed she must have come to see this with Sumner at least once, hell, he was probably the one who showed her it for the first time.

"Umhmm" His Navi nodded. "Wish I'd bought coffee now though"

"Did someone say they'd brought coffee?" Landry raised a brow.

Anna rolled her eyes. "No, I said I wished I had"

"Damn" His General stifled a yawn.

"Don't you see this every year Sir?"

He rolled his eyes at Lorne and gestured to the water. "Would you get bored of this?"

The Major smiled. "Nope"

"Exactly" Landry looked thoughtful. "Maybe I should get some of the geniuses here to see if they can get them to come a couple of hours later"

"Not everyone can run to your schedule Hank" The other member of AR-1 grinned at the General. "Perhaps the whales would say that seeing as you know when they are coming you should get an early night yes?"

"Shut up Radek"

"Of course General"

Landry flipped him off. "And I would have had an early night if someone had not filled my gate room with smoke yesterday"

"Awesome"

"It was not awesome Sheppard. It was giant walking burning trees"

"You set fire to the Ents? How could you?" Anna pouted at Dr Zalenka.

"Um, with a flare gun"

Colonel Carter snorted then tried to cover it up with a cough.

"It wasn't funny Carter"

"No Sir"

Grinning at the other Colonel who was trying to look suitably chastised Cam turned back to the ocean which was slowly starting to return to its normal bluey green as the whales began to disperse, returning to wherever the hell they'd come from. A few still seemed content to show off to the spectators on the pier.

"How long do they stay?"

Anna tipped her head back to speak to him. "They'll be out of sight in another hour or so, but you can hear them for most of the day"

Cam raised a brow. "Really?"

"Um hmm" She nodded. "It's nice, like we're not the only ones out here you know?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah I know baby" Although the city was always buzzing, usually with the consequences of the latest tech related disaster, when you went outside and looked out over the planet you realised just how isolated the base was. There were no other human-like life forms here, there weren't even any birds to see in the sky and apparently the mainland was pretty sparse too. But the oceans must be teaming with life to support the whales he'd just had the privilege of seeing.

Radek leant forward to catch McKay's eye. "If you have chance before your first run I would be happy to show you my research on the whales. I'm afraid I do not have much time to dedicate to work outside of the war effort but you're welcome to see what I have so far"

Dr McKay blinked at him. "Um ok, thanks. That'd be great"

Dr Zalenka nodded. "Not a problem. I hope one day soon we shall be free of the Krill. Pegasus has so much more to teach us"

 

Evan followed the rest of his squadron off the balcony and towards the mess watching his Navi quietly converse with Anna and Mitchell. He hadn't expected keeping his distance to be so difficult, not predicting his two fellow Pilots to seemingly fall so easily into relationships with their Navi's. He wasn't stupid, or unprepared, knew what pairing up with a Navi was supposed to entail but then he'd met Chuck Harrington and all of his expectations had been thrown out the window.

The man was hot, with a quick wit and the ability to hold an interesting conversation, and he obviously cared deeply for those who moved within his friendship circle despite enjoying winding them up. In short he was someone whom Evan would have picked out as having potential as a partner even without the Pilot/Navi factor which was making this even tougher. And then the man had gone and gotten himself hurt off world, his fading black eye still giving Evan a weird feeling in his stomach. He sighed quietly, dragging his feet as they turned to the left, the smells of breakfast drifting down the now familiar hallway that led to the mess.

It was ok when they were all there, he and Chuck got on so no one had picked up on anything being wrong, and with the security of others watching he fell into a relaxed interaction with the other man pretty easily. But it was when they were alone he struggled, his Navi was so damn naturally tactile and flirtatious, unknowingly leaving himself open to touches and innuendoes, and Evan was finding it torturous. And it was getting harder and harder to escape without being downright rude, more and more difficult to not reach out and take that touch.

He ran a hand through his hair and yawned. Because his Navi wasn't sharing his bed Evan had been woken by his door persistently chiming, which he thought was probably a lot less pleasant experience than an elbow to the ribs would have been, and he'd staggered out of bed cursing out his hangover and dragging on sweats. Thinking they were being invaded or something he'd grabbed his sidearm and jogged over to the door, hoping he could still shoot straight with his whisky infused blood and praying no one wanted him to actually fly today.

As the door had slid open his Navi had blinked at him, eyes running down Evan's bare chest before taking in the Beretta. Chuck had then raised his gaze and grinned.

"That's a great look for you but we're not being invaded"

Evan had flipped him off.

Eyes were rolled and his Navi strolled past him and sprawled out on the couch. "We need to be outside in twenty, want you to see something"

He licked his lips, his mouth was like a desert, that something had died in. "Can't I see it later?"

"No" Chuck scowled at him.

He'd sighed. "Chuck.."

"It's important"

Evan had stared at him for a minute. As far as he'd been able to fathom out not much was important to his Navi but what was he treasured. He'd pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right, sure. I'll, uh, I'll just shower" Turning on his heels he thought he heard the other man mutter something. Evan had turned, frowning slightly. "Pardon?"

Chuck raised a brow. "Pardon?"

He'd rolled his eyes at his Navi. "What did you say?"

"Nothing" Chuck was doing a marvellous impression of a sullen teenager.

Evan half-heartedly threw his hands up in the air. "Right, fine. I won't be a minute"

Bringing himself back to the present he grabbed a tray and took his place in line behind Anna who turned and gave him a small smile which he returned. "You look tired Major"

"So does everyone else Miss Rayne"

She grinned at him. "But it was worth it yes?"

"Yeah" He grinned back. "Hope I'm still around next year, would like to see it again"

"I'm sure you will be" She turned and grabbed a bottle of water as Evan nodded his thanks for the plate that was passed to him by one of the counter staff. "May I ask you something Evan?"

He turned to her and raised a brow. "Is it appropriate for the mess?"

Anna snorted. "Yes"

They moved up the line. "Then please.."

"Are you happy?"

He frowned at her. "Are you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I am currently 70/30, in happiness' favour"

Evan huffed a quiet laugh and poured himself a glass of juice. "Can't you pick up on my levels of joy?"

Anna began filling her plate. "I keep my blocks up most of the time, it can be overwhelming and an invasion of other's privacy"

"Very wise Empath"

"Well, I am a grown up now"

"You sure?" He smirked at her and got a punch to the arm. "Hey"

She grinned at him. "So?"

Evan sighed. "Yes, I am"

Anna eyed him curiously for a minute then nodded. "Ok. Just..make the most of downtime ok?"

He frowned. "Um, ok"

Nodding again she turned to speak to the man behind the counter apparently satisfied with the outcome of their slightly bizarre conversation. He looked up feeling eyes on him and met Mitchell's gaze. The other Pilot raised a brow and Evan shrugged. The man couldn't have heard their conversation but he was very watchful of Anna at the moment, with what he knew of the young Navi's history he guessed it was understandable, and Mitchell had always had a little over-protective streak. His friend looked at him for a few seconds more then picked up his tray and made his way to the table that already held Sheppard and McKay.

"Evan?"

He blinked at her.

Anna grinned at him. "You're holding up the queue, don't want them to start in on a hunger induced rampage"

Glaring at her he slid his tray down, grabbing a chocolate muffin on the way past. He was hungover which made it perfectly acceptable to have bacon and chocolate for breakfast.

 

Rodney looked away at the light tap on his hand, John raised a brow. "Something wrong baby?"

"Um" He frowned. "No, why?"

His Pilot forked up some beans. "You were watching Anna and Lorne like they were about to expire on the spot"

He shifted. "No I wasn't"

"Yes you were"

"Was not"

John glared at him. "Quit it"

"You started it"

He sighed. "Rodney..I.." He dropped his fork back down and ran a hand through his hair. "You looked worried that's all"

He smiled at his Pilot, the man only seemed to display this kind of uncertainty around Rodney and he was starting to take it as a compliment. "Nothing big I promise"

"But there is a problem?"

"Um, no?"

John rolled his eyes. "We need to all work well together baby, if Lorne and Anna aren't getting along…"

"What?" Rodney blinked at him. "Oh, no, um, it's not that. I think she likes him, if the way she enjoys winding him up is anything to go by"

"So the fact she regularly insults me should be taken as a good thing?"

"Oh yes" He grinned at John. "The more she likes you the more she pisses you off"

There was a snort of laughter and Mitchell slid into a chair at the end of the table. "While I completely agree why are we discussing my Navi's immature tendencies?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "John has acceptance issues"

"He did always have to be the most popular at the Academy, you should have seen the tantrums if someone threatened his status"

"Fuck off Mitchell" They glared at each other for a minute.

"For God's sake, and you call Anna childish" Rodney took a sip of coffee.

His Pilot shot him a look then turned back to the other man. "I wasn't sure if there was a problem between your girl and Lorne"

Mitchell raised a brow. "Don't think so" He sprawled back in his chair. "You're referring to their little conversation a minute ago?"

John nodded. "Rodney was watching them too"

"Was not"

"Baby don't lie"

"Please don't call him baby at the breakfast table" Mitchell smirked at him before looking serious. "And yeah, I saw it too" He drummed his fingers on the table. "I think somethings up with the Major and his Navi"

Rodney cursed inwardly, he had been hoping the Pilots of Squadron One were too wrapped up in themselves and their respective Navi's to have noticed. Anna had mentioned it a few days ago and once she had it had become more obvious to him but it was still pretty hard to spot if you weren't looking. He took a subtle look around, seeing Anna on her way over leaving Lorne to finish up at the counter and Chuck still chatting at the table of marines he'd stopped at.

"Rodney?" His Pilot was looking curiously at him. "Do you know anything?"

"No"

John frowned at him.

"And even if I did it's none of our business"

His Pilot sighed again. "Stop being deliberately frustrating"

Mitchell huffed a quiet laugh and unrolled his cutlery, waving his fork in the direction of the chair next to him as Anna appeared. She rolled her eyes. "Why can't I sit next to Rodney?"

"Because, Princess, we're going to have a little chat"

"Um, we are?" She placed her tray on the table and look at her fellow Navi. Rodney shrugged apologetically. She glared at him before taking her seat. "Look if this is about last night I swear I didn't know that was his.."

"Shut up Anna" Her Pilot scowled at her. "And don't try to distract me"

John grinned behind his mug.

"And you Sheppard" Mitchell flicked his gaze up quickly, Lorne had joined his Navi and seemed to have been pulled into whatever conversation they were having. "What was your little chat about up there with Lorne?"

Anna frowned at him. "Um, about this morning. And how bad his hangover is"

"And?"

"That was it"

Rodney watched as they stared at each other, Anna was a very good liar but he wasn't sure just how well Colonel Mitchell could read her now. Anna had already confided in him about the way he'd brought her grief about Sumner to the fore, right after she'd finished scaring the shit out of him by having a particularly terrifying flashback, which she'd made him promise he wouldn't tell her Pilot about.

"I think you're lying Anna"

"I think you're taking a wild stab in the dark Cameron" She rolled her eyes again and turned to face her plate, briefly catching Rodney's slightly panicked gaze. He wasn't sure what a pissed off Colonel Mitchell was like and, apparently unlike Anna, wasn't keen to find out. And now his own Pilot had narrowed his gaze at him. Great. Lorne and Chuck began to move through the tables again and he breathed a sigh of relief, at least this conversation could be over with.

"We'll talk about this again later Princess" Murmured Mitchell.

John quietly hummed his agreement and Rodney wished he had a slightly fuller diary for today, there was only so long you could string breakfast out.

 

Laura thoughtfully climbed the steps, her Pilot was in yet another meeting with Landry which meant she had a couple of hours to kill and she couldn't get this morning out of her mind. The whales had been amazing, a really beautiful sight that she was glad her Pilot had dragged her out of bed for but breakfast afterwards had been..strange. Her and Steven had been a bit later, as usual, his slightly superior standing in the squadron meaning he quite often got drawn into long and dull conversations, and when they'd arrived the table had been unusually quiet.

There was still conversation but Mitchell and Sheppard had seemed tense and Anna was most definitely sulking about something, and she had been chatting happily on the balcony earlier so whatever it was must have happened between the whales and the mess. Lorne and his Navi were pretty much as they always were but without the others really contributing even they seemed to struggle a bit. She sighed and started on the last twist of the staircase.

Laura had found this place on her third night in the city, coming across it on one of her runs whilst she was still figuring out the best route. She figured it used to be an observation room or something because the large glass dome allowed you to see most of the city and a good stretch of mainland, there were also several markings on the floor that suggested large equipment had once stood there. No one else seemed to know about it and it was always nice and empty and quiet when she came here. Politely asking the doors to open she stepped inside and three faces turned towards her. "Oh, um, hi" She smiled slightly. "Sorry, its uh, usually empty up here"

"That was the point" Anna grinned and waved for her to come over.

"Um, I'm not interrupting?"

"Don't be stupid" Rodney rolled his eyes. "We did look for you but.."

She sighed. "Did you?"

He frowned. "Of course"

"Laura stop being a dick. That's what we have our Pilots for" Chuck smirked at her. "Come and sit for fuck's sake"

"I feel so loved"

"Come on honey, you're part of our little messed up family now too" Anna smiled at her. "And you should actually wear your radio then we wouldn't have to launch a full scale manhunt every time we were getting together"

She raised her hand to her ear only to find it empty. "Damn it, I always get a bollocking for that"

They smirked at her as one and she rolled her eyes. "So from your little family comment I take it there is something wrong?" Laura made her way over to them, taking a seat on the floor so she could stare out the large glass dome.

"Um"

"Breakfast was weird"

"Ah, right, crap" Chuck shifted a bit. "Yeah, sorry about that"

"Didn't bother me" Laura shrugged. "Was just curious. It had been a lovely morning up til then"

"Yeah, maybe" Chuck sighed and shifted again.

"Is whatever it is also the reason you're all hiding up here?"

"We're not hiding" Anna raised a brow. "We're tactically retreating"

Rodney snorted. "In a completely non-cowardly way"

Laura looked around them. "Why? And how did you get away?"

"They got called into an impromptu meeting" Anna grinned again. "We ran"

"And so I repeat why?" Laura raised a brow.

"Sweetie?" Anna poked Chuck gently.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Um, Lorne, uh Evan.." He licked his lips. "He uh, doesn't want to, you know.."

"Oh" Laura blinked. "Um, but it's not mandatory right?"

Chuck rolled his eyes. "No, but sex with anyone else is pretty difficult. And I like him, and..I don't want to have sex with anyone else"

"Ah, right" She eyed him. "So, he's not gay"

"He is"

"Oh" Laura chewed on her lip. She was pretty new to this, as was Rodney but he'd had Anna all through his training and the benefit of her knowledge and experience. "Maybe he just wants to wait?"

"Pilot's usually only wait on first time Navi's" Anna smiled a little sadly at her. "After you've done a couple of runs you know what to expect, quite often you look forward to it"

"Huh. Well, Steven didn't wait and I'm a first-timer"

"Way to rub it in Cadman"

"Oh right, um sorry" She shot Chuck an apologetic look. "So is Sheppard waiting?"

Anna snorted. "Definitely not"

"Bite me Rayne" Rodney glared at her.

"So you feel pissed because you're the only one not getting any?"

Chuck flipped her off. "It's not just that, when we start flying it's going to get even harder.." Rodney snorted and got shot a dirty look. "..I'll need him, need his contact but if he doesn't want to…hand holding just isn't the same"

"And is gross" Anna wrinkled her nose.

"Except if it's Mitchell apparently" She stuck her tongue out at Laura who smirked back. "Have you asked him why?"

Chuck rolled his eyes. "No"

"Um, why?"

"Because its embarrassing"

"No it isn't. Just go to his room and ask him why he doesn't want to fuck you"

"So ladylike" Rodney grinned at her. "But then I guess Chuck isn't a lady, most of the time"

"Hey, we're supposed to be making me feel better remember?"

"Look Harrington" Rodney raised a brow. "Laura's right, and I know Anna said the same thing. You have to talk to him. For one thing I can not hide from my Pilot for the rest of eternity"

"Why are you hiding from them by the way? Surely this is just between Chuck and Lorne?"

"Yeah but now they've picked up on it, and blown it all out of proportion and are demanding explanations" Anna sighed. "And we don't want to go blabbing, as you say it's really between Chuck and Evan"

"Oh" Laura frowned. "I wonder why Steven.."

"He's probably noticed but he's got a few years experience on our Pilot's. He'll know if and when he needs to get involved" Anna smiled at her. "Advantages of an older man"

"Hmm, the sex.."

"Euw! No!" Chuck pointed at her. "It's gross, and I'm not getting any"

Laura grinned at him. "Sorry" She softened her expression. "Honestly, go see him. He looked shattered today and not just in the 'I'm hungover and got woken up way too early' way. I bet he's suffering too"

"From what? 'I'm a dick' itis?"

Anna giggled. "Nice one. I'm so using that one day"

"He'll go nuts"

"I wonder what angry Cameron is like?"

"No one wants to know"

"I do"

"That's because you're disturbed"

Anna stuck her tongue out at her best friend then turned back to Chuck. "Seriously sweetie, try to sort it one way or another. If he really isn't interested at least you'll know, can work towards something else"

"Right, great. Crap" He ran a hand through his hair. "Stupid Pilot, it's not supposed to be this difficult"

"Hey it's his first time remember? Go easy on him, maybe he's freaked out by the whole thing" Laura raised a brow.

"He's a Pilot, they don't get chosen for excelling in being a big girl"

"No, they're chosen for being incredibly good at being assholes"

Rodney snorted. "Speak for your own Pilot Rayne"

"Is Sheppard really a big girl?" Anna grinned at him.

"No" Rodney glared at her. "He's very manly"

Chuck stuck his fingers down his throat and made loud gagging noises.

 

"Here sweetie" Anna chucked Rodney another throw and wrapped herself back in her own. They were sat back on the small private balcony they'd watched the whales from earlier, a flask of coffee and some requisitioned brownies from Lenny between them.

He slung it over his shoulders and poured them both a drink. "Cheers" He took a sip. "Remind me why we're out here in the cold again?" The suns were bright and the sky clear but this was the planets equivalent to Earth's autumn and the air was crisp, their breath forming small white clouds.

"Because we're saving the obs room for major emergencies"

"Chuck's little meltdown is not an emergency"

Anna rolled her eyes. "It will be if it's still going on when we start flying. They need to be working well together otherwise they may not even achieve takeoff" He snorted and got the finger. "Don't be dirty Rodney, your Pilot has been a bad influence"

"You've been a bad influence" He grinned at her. "And is it really that imperative?"

"Yes, the Viper's respond to our emotions hon, not just our orders"

"Oh" He took another thoughtful sip. "Well, shit"

"Exactly" Anna snuck a hand out from her cocoon and snagged a brownie. "But we'll worry about that bridge when it comes to it"

"I think you've got your analogy's a little mixed up Rayne"

"Have not" She stuck her tongue out. "I'm blending the two to prove the potential seriousness of the situation"

"Idiot" He rolled his eyes. "Let's get on with this shall we before our Pilot's finally cotton on to where we are"

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen"

"Did you see them on the creepy BDSM planet Anna? You're underestimating their skills"

She eyed him then sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Why couldn't we have been matched with a couple of brainless hulks who just wanted to use us for our awesome skills, and hot bodies"

"Cause then we would have been bored out of our brains within the first two days. And you'd have gotten some moron who would probably have fucked you up even more"

"I am not fucked up"

"Yeah, you are" He smirked at her scowl then looked serious. "Mitchell is good for you, you should tell him about the thing.."

"What thing?"

"You know what thing"

"There is no thing"

"So is"

"Is not"

"Is too"

"And your Navi had the cheek to call us childish earlier"

Anna looked up at her suspiciously smug looking Pilot who was propped against the open door, Sheppard stood beside him grinning. "Damn it"

"Told you" Rodney grinned at her again.

She glared at him before blinking up innocently at Cameron. "Is there any chance you're going to go away and let us have this conversation in private?"

"Nope" He pushed off the door. "Your grace period is over Anna"

"Damn, I didn't even know I was having a grace period, I'd have been so much more annoying"

Sheppard snorted and moved further onto the balcony, letting the doors slide close behind him. Her Pilot sat down adjacent to her, back propped against the wall, legs bracketing her from the side. "So, whats the private meet about?"

"We're just hiding our contraband brownies"

"Bullshit Princess" He raised a brow. "Whats been happening? And has it got anything to do with the Major and his Navi?"

"Nothing, so therefore no" Anna took a bite of brownie so she didn't have to answer the inevitable next question.

Cameron glared at her.

"Perhaps you should step in baby" Sheppard grinned at Rodney. "Before Mitchell makes a bloody mess of his Navi on the balcony floor"

"More like the other way round" Muttered Rodney.

"Hey!"

"Rodney" His Pilot frowned at him. "We've got a week and a half to go"

"I received the schedule"

Anna tried not to smirk around her mouthful.

"That's enough. What has been happening? And why are you permanently attached to your tablet at the moment?" Sheppard raised a brow. "And incredibly possessive of it?"

"Is it anything to do with me keeping on catching Anna peering suspiciously under her furniture?"

Sheppard pointed at Rodney, opening his mouth to ask another question before blinking at his fellow Pilot. "Uh, what?"

Mitchell rolled his eyes. "The bed was subjected to not one but three thorough investigations yesterday"

"Was not" Anna scowled at him.

"Yeah it was, I was watching while you did it. And you keep staring suspiciously at walls, and ceilings"

"Isn't that normal for her?"

Anna flipped off a smirking Sheppard then pointed at her Pilot. "Stop stalking me"

"Anna.." He raised a brow. "What is going on?"

She looked at Rodney who shrugged. Anna rolled her eyes. "Rodney was just doing some work for me"

"Like what?"

"Tech stuff that he's better at"

"Like what?" The repeated question was ground out and there was a dangerous glint in her Pilot's eye.

Anna sighed. She wasn't used to losing but it didn't mean she couldn't tell when she was well on her way to it. "Rodney was tracing a diverted piece of security feed"

Cameron raised another brow. "Someone has been tapping into the security cameras?"

"I think so" Anna gestured to her friend. "He was about to tell me what he'd found out"

"Why are you interested in this? And how did you know about it?" Sheppard frowned at them.

"Um.."

Her Pilot hissed quietly. "Someone's been watching you?"

Anna nodded. "Yes"

"In your quarters?" Cameron growled.

"No" She rolled her eyes. "At least I don't think so"

He closed his eyes briefly. "From the beginning Princess"

"Cameron.."

"Now"

She looked at Rodney who raised a brow. Anna took a sip of coffee trying to figure out how to word this as best as possible then decided she was screwed however she tried to candy coat it. "The other night when we got the call to the briefing about AR-1 going missing.." Her Pilot nodded. "…Rodney was showed footage of me on his tablet"

"What?" Cameron flicked his gaze to the other Navi.

Rodney held his hands up. "Hey, I'm as confused as everyone else"

"And I wasn't naked or anything"

"For fuck's sake Anna" He glared at Sheppard. "Shut up"

"Oh come on, I didn't say anything"

"Quit thinking it"

"Nope"

Rodney poked his Pilot in the side. "Stop winding him up, don't you think he's pissed enough as it is?" He grinned at him. "And that's Anna's job"

"Guys please, can we get back to the crazy person stalking Anna?"

"I don't think they're stalking her, in fact I don't think its a person at all" They all stared at Rodney. "I've been tracing the damn footage for days now and I just keep ending up back in Atlantis' mainframe"

"So they're good?"

"You're not listening" He glared back at them. "It was Atlantis that sent me the images"

Anna blinked at him, coffee mug hovering a few inches away from her mouth.

"Wow, and I thought your Navi was the obligatory mental one"

"Hey!" She matched Rodney's scowl that was directed to his Pilot.

"Baby, you are kinda mental" Cameron smirked at her.

"Am not"

"Uh huh" He scooted forward and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's ok, the hot ones generally are"

"Yep" Sheppard grinned at her.

"Well, you're the obligatory annoying one" She grinned back.

Her Pilot huffed a quiet laugh in her ear before turning his head to face Rodney. "So McKay, you sure about this?'

Her friend nodded. "Ninety seven percent"

"Ninety seven, seriously?"

"I like to be exact"

"He does" His Pilot waggled his brows. Anna made gagging noises at Sheppard who grinned back before turning to his Navi. "But you're really sure about this baby? I mean the city itself, its kinda hard to imagine"

"Like I said I'm pretty sure. And no I don't know why" Rodney drained his coffee. "It's almost like..she wanted to look after you or something"

"Great, that's not creepy at all" Anna sighed. "I've been adopted by an alien part-sentient city"

"Or she's in love with you"

"Euw" Anna wrinkled her nose. "Thats a little too far"

"Hey look, we found a boundary" Rodney smirked at her as she flipped him off. "Seriously Rayne I don't think this is anything to worry about"

"Yeah, that's cause you're not having your every movement tracked by Big Brother" They all looked up at the small camera above the balcony doors. Anna gave it a very pointed look but it remained stubbornly blinking down at them.

"Hang on" Her Pilot frowned. "I thought you were with McKay when we got that call?"

"Uh.." She twisted her head to look at him. "Oh, yes I was. That was after, he came to find me to tell me what he'd seen"

"And where did he find you?" Cameron narrowed his gaze.

"I went for a run remember?"

"Atlantis showed McKay you running?"

"Umhmm" She blinked at him.

"So why would the city think you needed looking after?"

Anna shrugged. "Maybe she thought I was over-exerting myself"

"Rodney?" Sheppard raised a brow at his Navi.

"Oh no, I've done my part"

"Where were you Princess?"

"Running Cameron"

Her Pilot sighed, warm breath ghosting over her ear. "Anna.."

"I may have passed by the Viper bay on my route" She eyed her empty mug a little sadly, her only method of stalling long gone. "I went in, I was just curious, haven't been down there since they pulled me out"

"We could have gone baby, anytime. You only had to ask" Cameron slid his arms round her.

She shrugged in his hold. "I hadn't really thought about it before"

"And, how did it go?"

She chewed on her lip, meeting Rodney's gaze. He raised a brow, again. She rolled her eyes at him. "Ok actually. Had a flashback but it wasn't a bad one, just everyday memories"

"Is that true McKay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it was a bit weird to find her zoned out like that but she seemed calm. Just not..here"

"Thats what happens" Sheppard eyed her. "You just slip into past memories?"

"Umhmm" Anna smiled at him. "They think it's something to do with my Empath side. Makes them more intense, real"

"And you can't hear anything, see anything in the present?"

She shook her head. "No, it doesn't last long, I usually come back round on my own, no nasty side effects"

"Could it happen during flight?" The other Pilot frowned at her.

"I don't know" She smiled sadly.

"That could be dangerous Mitch"

"We're working on it Shep, and it would be a lot easier if I actually knew about this shit Anna"

"It wasn't important"

"Anna, if they see anything during the actual pairing process.."

"They won't"

"You sound very sure about that Miss Rayne" Sheppard tilted his head questioningly. "I thought even Empaths couldn't block the tests?"

"I probably could but they'd also probably pick up on the fact they weren't getting the whole story. If there's any chance of me being a danger I'll withdraw"

"You won't have to Princess. As long as you keep working with me ok? No hiding" Cameron squeezed her gently.

"Ok" She mumbled and scowled into her mug.

Rodney snorted. "A miracle, we've finally found someone to get you to do as you're told" She stuck her tongue out at him. He grinned back, alongside his equally grinning Pilot. "But um, I was curious about one thing"

Anna raised a brow. "What?"

"You uh, in the Viper, the Pilots console and both chairs were lit up even though you were sitting on the floor"

She frowned at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes" He nodded. "I remember because it was strange, I didn't think that was possible"

"It shouldn't be" Her Pilot matched her frown. "Did you touch anything Anna?"

"No" She shook her head. "At least I don't think so"

"When did your flashback start baby?"

"Um, when I stepped off the stairs leading to the Vipers"

"So you found our Viper, got in and lit it up all whilst zoned out?"

Anna nodded.

"Jesus Princess, this might not be good"

"Why?"

"You know why Anna. Shit, what if your memories had led to you flying aswell?"

"She couldn't have flown without you Mitch"

"But she's flown without a Pilot before" Rodney smiled sadly at her. "Haven't you?"

Anna nodded again. "Yeah, shit. How did I do that?"

"I don't know I wasn't there" He rolled his eyes at her.

"I don't think I was either" She grinned at him.

"Not funny baby girl" Her Pilots arms tightened around her. "Crap"

 

Evan wearily padded over to his door, he'd been attempting to catch up on some serious missed sleep before meeting the rest of his squadron for dinner. But this time his door chime hadn't woken him, he'd already been staring up at his ceiling, again, trying to figure out what the hell to do and worrying about the impending pairing that was coming up way too fast. He ordered his door open and blinked at the figure standing there.

His Navi raised a brow. "Still working the morning look Major?"

He sighed. "Chuck, is there something wrong?"

"Yes"

"Um.."

"Can I come in?"

Evan frowned. He was way too tired to be capable of any potentially complicated or intense conversations. "Is there any way this can wait?"

Chuck glared at him. "No"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Right, um ok.." He gestured for the other man to come in and went to dig out his coffee.

"Gee thanks"

Evan shot him a look over his shoulder. "Coffee?"

"Sure" Chuck shrugged before sprawling out on the couch in the small living area just like he'd done earlier this morning.

He busied himself making the drinks, keeping his back to his Navi for as long as possible, face hidden in case it gave anything away. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing unfortunately"

Evan just about stopped himself from dropping the mug. "Pardon?"

"You don't appear to be interested so I thought it was best we ironed out the details of being able to see other people before we're paired up"

He froze in his movements and stared at the steam streaming from the coffee machine before closing his eyes briefly. "You have someone in mind?"

There was a pause. "Not currently"

"So we're talking about this now because..?" Evan poured the milk trying to keep the slight shake from his hands.

A sigh came from the couch. "Because people are starting to notice. And I don't like not knowing what I'm supposed to be doing, or not doing"

He licked his lips. "Right"

"And I thought if I mentioned other people you may finally display some kind of emotion"

"What the hell does that mean?" Evan topped up the mugs with coffee and swallowed. He could feel himself getting warmer and hoped he wasn't blushing like a school girl.

"You know what it means Major" He heard the couch shift slightly. "You're being painfully polite, the only time you're relaxed around me is when others are there and you practically run from my presence as soon as you think you can get away with it. Am I that bad? Did the tests get it wrong?"

Evan cursed under his breath. He'd been hoping to have his head on straight and his thoughts a little clearer before approaching this inevitable conversation. "No, they didn't get it wrong. And you're not bad, just the opposite in fact" He turned and placed one of the mugs on the low table in front of the couch. "And I'm sorry if I've made you feel like that"

His Navi eyed him suspiciously. "So whats the problem?"

He took a sip of coffee, pinching the bridge of his nose trying to relieve the last of his hangover. "Look Chuck, I really don't want to do this when I'm not thinking straight, I'm tired…"

"So am I" The man on the couch glared at him. "You know why? Cause all I can think about is this…" He waved a hand between them. "…trying to figure out what I've done, or haven't done, how I can somehow make it right. I'm not sleeping Major, and I don't think you are either" He raised a brow, reaching for his coffee.

"Pushy Navi" Muttered Evan.

"Hey, we're not all doormats you know?" Chuck scowled at him.

"Oh I know that" Evan rolled his eyes. "Although most manage to remember Pilot's are actually in charge"

His Navi snorted. "Yeah, on paper"

"Chuck, ba…" He bit off the word.

"Pardon?"

"Pardon?" He tried to keep his face blank.

Chuck looked suspiciously like he was holding back a smirk. "Did you nearly address me with a term of endearment?"

"No"

"Liar" The other man took a sip of coffee. "But we'll forget that for now. Tired or not we need to sort this. I would prefer for us not to fall asleep at the wheel at thirty thousand feet"

"Hilarious" Evan sighed and slid down the wall, back pressed against the cool surface, legs stretched out in front of him. "Right, fine"

There was a moment's silence. Chuck rolled his eyes. "You have to talk Evan, you're the one holding all the cards"

He swallowed. "It's not like that"

"Yes it is, I don't whats happening remember? And I'm not the one trying to keep as much distance between us as possible"

Evan nodded, studying the coffee cradled in his hands. He'd run through this conversation a hundred times, knew what he had to say, what he wanted to say but it still got stuck in his throat, made his chest burn. He closed his eyes again.

"Ev?"

Slowly opening them again he raised his head to meet his Navi's concerned gaze, soft brown eyes staring into his. He sighed again. "I know why the tests matched us"

A brow was raised. "Um, ok?"

"My Dad, my biological one, he used to…hit my Mom. And us" Evan swallowed again as a brief look of panic flickered across his Navi's face.

"My Dad never.."

"I know" He tried for a small smile.

Chuck ran a hand through his hair, giving a dark chuckle. "The bastards put it in my file"

"They have to"

"No they don't"

"Chuck.." Evan eyed his Navi who was now putting as much effort into studying his coffee as he had done himself a few moments ago. "You know they have to. The link to each other, to the Viper, it's vital that we're at least vaguely stable"

"I am stable" His Navi ground out.

"Are you?"

"I don't fucking believe this"

"Hey look, I'm not saying you're batshit crazy or anything.."

"Gee, I'm so touched"

Evan rolled his eyes at him. "OR that I'm all sorted, that it still doesn't sometimes affect me, my choices and my actions. Like with this..you. I can't even touch you because I'm too worried about hurting you, scaring you. It freaks me out ok?" His Navi blinked a little dazedly at him. "I want to Chuck, I do. It's been torture, but I don't where to start, how to fix this"

"I don't need fixing"

"I think you do, I think I do too" Evan sighed and drained his coffee. "Maybe we're supposed to help each other…I don't know"

"You're the Pilot, you're supposed to know"

"I know" Evan snorted quietly. "Maybe, could you tell me? What happened after the crash, after Sumner was gone?"

His Navi gave him a curious look. "I..I don't think that's a good idea"

"I need to know. It's the unknown that s freaking me out Chuck, I understand how a simple touch or too quick movement can set off the fear, the memories. Help me understand, please"

The other man leant forward, elbows propped on his knees, hand still grasping his mug. He nodded. "Ok, but it's your fault if anything.."

Evan nodded in reply. "Of course, thank you"

 

One year ago.

Chuck sat by his friends bed, Anna was still sleeping and in a way he was glad, at least she couldn't read him whilst she was unconscious. After his Pilot had left he'd slipped out of their quarters and come down to the infirmary, at night the lights were dim and the place was quiet, just the faint beep of the machines and the sometimes murmured conversations between the med staff. There was something ironically peaceful about it despite the fact those who came here were sick or gravely injured.

He looked over at her, face smooth and relaxed, breathing steady and even. He didn't think he'd ever seen Anna like this, and if she ever decided to wake he was pretty sure he wouldn't get to see her like this again. Marshall had been her life, for the past two years he had bullied, nurtured and cajoled her into the finest Navi that had ever been on record. And as a person she had flourished, her confidence growing, her happiness plainer and plainer to see. Chuck wasn't sure she'd survive without her Pilot and if she did what she'd become once she'd dealt with his death.

He ran a hand through his hair, in fact he wasn't sure what was going to happen to all of them now. Viper Squadron One, together for two years, had become a slick team in the sky and on the ground. Thanks to Marshall the bond that existed between them was nearly as strong and efficient as that between the individual Pilot/Navi pairings but he could already see the cracks, the mortar shaking loose from the bricks that held them together. The rest of the squad had begun to isolate themselves, only coming together when they visited Anna, and that worried him in a way he couldn't put his finger on.

They had been placed on indefinite downtime until Anna awoke and they could ascertain whether she would be capable of joining with another Pilot. He could have told them, hell Steven had already tried to, Anna Rayne would not be ready for another Pilot for a long time, if ever. But things had to be done to regulation, and they needed the remains of Squadron One back in the sky as soon as possible, their reports of the hybrid they'd seen that day had the techs and higher-ups running around like headless chickens. Chuck sighed and placed a hand over hers. "Maybe you should stay in there a bit longer sweetie, just..come back to us eventually ok?"

His gaze dropped to where his sleeve had slid up a little revealing his wrist and he swallowed at the sight of the faint bruising. It would get darker, he'd been beaten up by alien natives enough times to know that, and there was already the faint outline of fingers to be seen. He removed his hand from Anna's and pulled his sleeve back down, making sure he reached for his mug with the other hand. His Pilot was strict, was old school military, and he certainly had a temper but he'd never laid a finger on Chuck, at least not in that way.

Their match had created almost as many surprised looks as Anna's and Sumner's and the other Navis and Pilots had gone on to be amazed at the amount of leeway he gave his pairing, and the fondness he displayed for the younger man. In turn Chuck had been grateful to be joined with an experienced Pilot who could make any meddling tech back off with a single look, and the sex had been pretty awesome too. But now the man he thought he knew, was pretty sure he loved a little, was grieving and angry and Chuck hardly recognised him.

When he'd reached out to offer and ask for a comforting touch earlier his wrist had been grabbed in a painful hold and twisted. His Pilot had looked down at him, icy blue pinning him to the spot despite the pain. "This is your fault Chuck" He'd hissed, the grip tightening causing Chuck to whimper quietly. "If you'd followed orders he'd be alive" Then his wrist had been dropped and the other man had spun on his heels and left without another word. Chuck bit his lip, feeling his eyes well up at the memory. What was worse than anything else was that he couldn't understand what his Pilot was trying to tell him. He hadn't disobeyed any orders, he couldn't find one moment in his mental or recorded log of that day where his actions had doomed his friends but if his Pilot said he had done it, well it had to be true.

 

Chuck stood in front of the gate, trying not wince as his friend hugged him tight, her embrace pressing painfully on the large bruise on his arm. Anna stepped back and he sighed inwardly with relief. She smiled, a weak one but it still reached her eyes, just. "Goodbye sweetie, I'll miss you"

He licked his lips. "Me too Rayne"

"Will you come visit?"

"Oh yeah, a vacation on the front line, how wonderful"

Anna stuck her tongue out then frowned. "Chuck, are you..?"

"Fine" He glared at her. "And no reading me, we discussed its bad manners to poke about in people's brains without their permission"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not poking, you're projecting"

"I'm waving my best friend off to her possible doom, I'm allowed to project" He raised a brow.

She frowned again. "Are you sure?"

He sighed. "Yes, now bugger off"

"Chuck.."

"Go away, I'm already pissed you're deserting me"

Anna chewed on her lip, eyes suspiciously moist.

"Hey" She looked at him and he smiled back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Just, take care of yourself ok?"

She nodded."You too" There was brief squeeze to his hand. "And thank you"

He watched as she said goodbye to Teyla and Ronan before hefting her duffel over her shoulder and disappearing into the horizon. As the gate shut down his shoulders slumped and the sick feeling intensified. A hand curled around his arm, fingers digging into the bruise. He tried to keep his face free from pain. "Let's go Chuck"

Nodding silently he allowed his Pilot to lead him from the room and towards their quarters. He knew now that what had happened wasn't his fault, he'd looked at it from every angle and his actions on that fateful day had been as good as they could have been under the circumstances. This was to do with his Pilot, with the mans inability to grieve properly, he'd made the mistake of trying to explain it to him two nights ago and the rage that had been directed towards him had been horrifying.

During the past weeks his Pilot had swung back and forth from a towering and terrifying presence looming down over him to an almost childlike and broken one, curled into a ball, sobbing into Chuck's neck. It was worse right after the beatings, he'd sink to the floor, tears running down his cheeks whilst he repeated over and over again how sorry he was, how much he loved Chuck, how it wouldn't happen again. But it always did, and even if Chuck was spared the physical abuse there was the sneered insults, twisted words that pierced the Navi's heart over and over again.

He didn't know what to do. He knew deep down his Pilot was a good man with a kind heart and if Chuck reported everything that had been happening he would lose his commission, would be stripped of his rank and any awards he had gathered over his long service. But this couldn't continue, with Anna refusing to rejoin the squad they were already starting the process of recruiting a new flight team and Chuck and his Pilot would be subject to the routine tests required before being allowed back into the sky.

Then they would know, or at least have an idea that something was wrong and Chuck didn't know for how long he would be able to protect his Pilot, keep his problems hidden. He was pretty sure the other man had started drinking too. He shook himself from his thoughts as their door slid open in front of them and he was ushered inside. As it slid shut he turned to his Pilot, waiting to see what today would bring. The man stepped forward and ran a gentle finger down his cheek. "I'm sorry you've lost your friend my love"

Chuck nodded silently, trying to work out if he was close to snapping again.

"It'll be ok I promise. We'll be ok" And his Pilot sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than Chuck. Then he smiled and gently pressed his lips against the Navi's, tongue lightly running over them, asking permission. As Chuck opened up he hummed contentedly as he was pulled into a tender embrace, smooth strokes running up and down his back. Today was going to be a good day.

 

Chuck rolled out of the way, could feel the blood trickling down the side of his face. Teyla's training was excellent, he could take the man advancing on him with only a little effort but he didn't want to, hadn't been able to bring himself to despite everything. It was the damn tears that got him every time, knowing that somewhere on the inside his Pilot was screaming out for help and the guilt at not being able to provide it made Chuck's stomach roll. "Think you're so much better don't you" He hissed. "With your training, and your friends, and your qualifications"

The last word was practically spat at him. This latest temper tantrum had been sparked by Chuck receiving the results of his Astro Navigation exam. He'd passed with a distinction and his Pilot had been so encouraging during his studies he thought this news would, at least for a while, bring some happiness to the man, instead Chuck had been subjected to some kind of jealous rage. He may as well have just told his Pilot he'd been fucking another man.

Suddenly his Pilot reached for the desk chair in a surprise move and Chuck wasn't ready, wasn't quick enough. It slammed into his already bleeding head and he saw stars for a moment before dropping to his knees, bringing up his breakfast. He was vaguely aware of being lifted by his collar and propped against a wall, the blurred image of his Pilot swimming in front of him. "You can clean up that fucking mess Navi.." And his Pilot had long ago stripped that word of any pleasure or comfort that Chuck used to find in it. "..then you go admit you cheated to your examiner. Distinction!" He yelled into his face, drops of spittle hitting Chuck's cheek. "You're a poor excuse for a Navigator! Cheater!"

Chuck blinked and tried to bring his vision back in focus, the blow to the head and the threatening tears were mingling to give everything a fuzzy, twisty look. He felt himself sway a little and the bile began to rise, and this could not be happening because this was going to really piss off his Pilot but he couldn't help it. The rest of his breakfast splattered onto the other mans tee and ran down over his BDU pants. His Pilot roared and released one hand, balling it up and pulling it back. Chuck began to squirm in his grasp but his balance was off and he really didn't feel good, all he could do was try to bury himself in the wall behind him and close his eyes against the blow that was inevitably coming.

Then he was released and he could feel himself sliding down the wall, cracking open his eyes he became vaguely aware of other people in their room, a cool hand pressed against his neck, another against his head. He forced his eyes open further. Steven smiled gently down at him. "It's ok Chuck, it's over. Just relax, gonna get the Doc here" He looked past his rescuer, his Pilot was unconscious, Ronan and Teyla hefting him between them and making their way to the door. "No one will know Chuck, I promise" The man crouching beside him brushed his cheek."I'm so sorry, so sorry I didn't see before"

Chuck blearily nodded at him before his world began to grow dark around the edges and the voice of his friend radioing for Carson to hurry faded out.

 

Present Day.

Chuck raised his eyes and smiled sadly at his current Pilot. "Carson said Steven probably saved my life that day, I wouldn't have been able to take another blow to the head" He sighed. "When I healed I joined a gate team. Steven left, headed back to Earth, I think partly to watch over my Pilot. His Navi went back into the testing pool for a new paring"

Evan ran a shaky hand over his face. "Jesus Chuck"

"I was, am, a grown man Evan. I could have beat the crap out of him, I could have walked away. It was a choice. Completely different from what you experienced"

"He gave you no choice. He used your feelings for him to guilt you into staying Chuck, that's what they do"

"He was hurting"

"Maybe to begin with. He refused help" His Pilot sighed quietly. "Does Anna know?"

Chuck shook his head. "I don't think so, she was gone by then. I think maybe she suspected something was wrong but she was still pretty battered and bruised herself when she left, she'd built up so many walls against her grief not much got through. I don't know if Steven told her but.." he shrugged. "She hasn't said anything, and I don't think he would have"

"And the other pair on the squad?"

"There was just the six of us" His Pilot raised a brow. Chuck shrugged again. "We were awesome"

Evan huffed a quiet laugh. "Yeah, so I hear. What happened to your Pilot?"

Chuck bit his lip and stared into the now empty mug. "By the time he came round from Ronan's hit he was back on Earth. Once they were pretty certain he was actually capable of rational thought, and sober, they told him that due to his actions towards his Navigator that he would be discharged and stripped of his rank and all merits. But they promised him a new identity and a fresh start if he kept his mouth shut and never attempted to find me. They didn't want word getting out that an abusive Pilot/Navi relationship was possible, it's sold as a complete experience, happy families and all that" He snorted quietly.

"Who?" He looked at his Pilot in surprise, there was the tiniest hint of a growl behind the question.

"Um, the higher-ups. IOA, White House..the Admiral"

"Hammond?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, and I think Jack nearly lost his job when he found out and went to talk to him. I don't think Admirals take kindly to having their parentage questioned"

"Gotta love O'Neill"

"Umhmm"

"Chuck?" He raised his head and Evan smiled at him. "Thank you for telling me, and I'm sorry. He should have been the one to help you through something painful and instead he just added to it"

"S'ok"

"No, it's not. If I ever find out where he is.." His Pilot trailed off then shook his head. "..um, yeah, well I'm mad. Lets just say that" Chuck watched him as he stood and made his way to the couch, perching on the edge. Evan reached out and took the mug from Chuck's hand, placing it gently on the table before lacing their fingers together. "It's my problem, my issues, that stop us from having what we should. I remember being so scared, and feeling so helpless against my Dad, I wanted to protect my Mom and I couldn't. Thats what gets stirred up when I think about you.."

His Pilot smiled sadly at him and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, Chuck felt his throat close up and willed himself not to cry like a big girl. "..but you're so amazing, the way you are now, and it wasn't that long ago you were hurt. I..I'll need time baby, and I'm sorry cause I know you want more but I can't, not right now" Evan sighed again and met his gaze. "Can you give me that, would you be able to wait?"

Chuck just nodded silently.

"Good" Another smile. "I'm not exactly a blushing virgin so don't panic, but with people I care about I have to take my time, and with your history it's even more important that I don't hurt you, that you know how much I care about you ok?"

"Sure.." Chuck cleared his throat and tried again. "Sure. Um, but will you tell me about your Mom? Not now, soon and when I don't feel like I've been all twisted up and wrung out?"

His Pilot grinned at him. "Sure, it would be nice" He shifted a little. "Do you want to skip dinner with the others? Maybe watch a movie here? I have food stashed, we could snuggle"

"Euw" He wrinkled up his nose.

"You look like Anna when you do that"

"I'll take that as a compliment" Chuck smirked at him. His Pilot rolled his eyes then released Chuck's hands so he could gently cup the Navi's face. "Uh.." Chuck then made a rather embarrassing strangled sound as soft lips slid over his and a warm tongue teased between them. Quickly parting his lips before Evan changed his mind he closed his eyes and let the other man take the lead, not wanting to scare him off, not knowing what exactly would.

He moaned quietly, he hadn't been kissed like this, well he was sure he'd never been kissed like this. It was like his Pilot was pouring everything he felt into it, the soft press of lips, the slow slide of the tongue, the light caress of Chuck's face. Every touch, every move, was filled with love and hurt, and promises of something better for them both, it slid down his throat and warmed his chest, wound its way into his bruised and battered heart, soothing over the scars there. He felt his eyes well up behind his closed lids and kept them shut as the other mouth left his.

"Chuck?"

"Umhmm" He licked his lips.

"Baby.." A thumb brushed away an escaped tear. "It's ok, just open your eyes for me"

"No"

There was a quiet sigh. "Are you staying?"

He nodded.

"Then can you open your eyes otherwise it's going to be a weird evening"

Chuck opened them and scowled at his Pilot, the effect slightly hampered by the escaping tears. He swiped them away. "Shit"

"It doesn't matter" Evan smiled at him. "You want something stronger than coffee?"

He nodded. "Please"

"Ok, let me shower quick and I'll dig out a bottle" His Pilot stood. "Choose a movie, grab some food if you want.." He waved a hand towards the drinks station. "..there's some stuff in the mini fridge. I won't be long. Just make yourself at home, get comfy ok?"

"Sure" He swallowed and watched the other man head towards the door that lead to the bedroom. "Thank you" He whispered.

"No, thank you" His Pilot disappeared through the darkened doorway leaving Chuck with the weird feeling of being incredibly frustrated whilst absolutely satisfied at the same time. Huffing out a quiet breath he toed out of his boots and made his way over to the laptop, he'd better make this movie strictly PG13.

 

Anna parted her legs further, or at least as far as the cramped space would allow. They'd come down here because her Pilot wanted to find out if she would zone out again on a second visit to the Viper Bay, which she hadn't, and she wasn't quite sure what had led to this but now she was splayed out in her chair, Cameron knelt on the floor in front of her with his face pressed between her legs while he did ridiculous things with his tongue, the Viper humming and flickering around them.

His stiffened tongue ran round her clit then he sucked, hard. Anna whimpered and her hips jolted forward, sweat slicked palms sliding off the control pads. He groaned against her, and yes, that was so good too, she felt herself pulse around nothing, her body desperate to hit orgasm, greedy for anything that could get her there. She slid her hands into her Pilot's short hair and pulled him in closer, he growled in response, the sound lost deep inside her, and slid in three fingers.

Anna arched away from the chair, stuttering his name out as he didn't pause to let her adjust, just began thrusting and curling, his tongue flickering back and forth over her swollen sensitive skin. Her head tipped back, fingernails dragging across the back of his head as her feet left the platform, knees raising by his ears, hips rolling. Her Pilot pinned her thighs to the sides of the chair, not letting her squirm away from the almost too intense sensations he was dealing out on her body.

She heard herself let out a half sob, half moan as her body climbed higher and higher, the pleasure almost turning to pain, her muscles were tense and the heat of her skin was ridiculous. Anna wanted to scream with frustration, her legs were shaking and she was so, so close her whole being was zinging with the anticipation. Then her Pilot stopped thrusting and pressed against that spot deep inside her, rubbing slow, firm circles over it and Anna gasped.

Then his lips surrounded her clit and he hummed. She struggled to pull in air as her entire body froze, like all her muscles and organs and bones had decided to stop working and take a moment to enjoy the really cool feelings currently racing through them. And then she was pulsing around his fingers, the wonderful bliss of release rippling over her, the heat causing her sight to blur and her brain to shut down for a few blessed moments. As she came back around Anna became aware of her Pilot gently lapping at her, his quiet moans of pleasure muffled by her skin. She tugged on his shoulders and his mouth moved upwards, soft open-mouthed kisses over her stomach, between her breasts and she arched her neck as his lips dragged up her throat. "Ok my Princess?" Her Pilot raised his head and grinned lazily at her.

Anna licked her dry lips. "Umhmm"

Another grin and then his lips brushed over hers, encouraging her mouth open so she could chase her own taste on his tongue. As they languorously kissed his arms slipped inside her open shirt and Anna felt herself being pulled slowly from the chair. She moved away from the kiss and raised a brow. He shot her another lazy smile, the kind that made her stomach do a weird flippy thing but also kinda made her want to punch him in the face.

"My turn baby girl" Her Pilot slid into his chair, leaving her sprawled awkwardly over him. His hard on twitched against her thigh, pants tangled round his still booted feet. "Turn round" Anna raised another brow but did as he asked, it seemed only fair to return the favour. She was tugged back, settling between his legs as her Pilot's dick slid inside her still stupidly slick folds. "Always so good baby" He groaned as she flexed around him. "Oh yeah, I feel ya Princess" Then she was pulled against his chest, a warm hand splayed across her stomach, another resting at the base of her throat, careful not to press on the still healing bruising.

Teeth grazed over her ear. "Legs on the outside" He licked over the marks on her neck and Anna shivered before placing her legs either side of his, her toes just touching the platform that surrounded his chair. Her Pilot's hips gave an experimental roll and he puffed air over her ear. "So perfect" He began to move with short, sharp, shallow thrusts, the confined space and the position they were in not allowing for anything more but he seemed content enough.

He groaned in her ear, hands increasing their pressure, his fingers starting to curl into her skin. And her Pilot must have taken more pleasure from getting her off than Anna had realised because he didn't seem so far from his own happy ending, his ragged breaths ghosting over her neck. She arched back into him, feet pushing against the front of the chair so she could raise herself slightly, give him more room to move. He moaned his appreciation and started hitting harder and deeper. "So good baby girl" He nipped at one of the bruises on her throat. "All mine"

Anna hummed her agreement whilst concentrating on keeping her perilous grip on his chair, letting him chase his own climax, enjoying the feel of him sliding in and out of her. She wasn't sure she could cum again so soon, or without some outside stimulation and both of their hands were currently a little preoccupied, but her Pilots increasing murmurs of pleasure were warming her insides and the way his mouth seemed to be reclaiming the bruises on her neck was confusingly enjoyable.

Her Pilot's arms suddenly wrapped tighter around her, his thrusts speeding up but losing some of their smooth rhythm. "God baby, so good" Anna was gripped harder. He moaned again. "So fucking good..so perfect..all mine" She could feel the sweat slicking between them now, and both of their's arousal had mingled with his saliva, was soaking their thighs, smearing between his stomach and her back. She tightened around his dick again and there was a long low groan in her ear. Her Pilot slammed up into her twice more before forcing her down onto him as far as she could get and his legs flexed as he came with another long drawn out moan.

His body relaxed under her and his arms loosened but stayed draped around her. He moved his legs encouraging Anna's up so she could curl into his lap, head on his shoulder. Warm hands stroked over her bare skin. "Looks like we lit up the place baby" His voice was as lazy as his earlier grin, accent thick, husky and sated, and it made her stomach do that annoying flip-flop thing again. He was turning into her a girl, before she knew she'd be giggling and flicking her hair. She rolled her eyes but didn't retort because despite being annoying her Pilot was right, there were so many lights flashing in the Viper now she was surprised it hadn't taken off and her chair still glowed softly despite it being empty. "How do you do this Anna?" His voice was gentle, the light caresses still running over her.

Anna swallowed. "I don't know Cameron"

"Does it scare you Princess?"

"No" She raised her head to look at her Pilot. "Does it scare you?"

He raised a brow. "No. It concerns me"

"Why?"

"You know why baby girl. You've got things in there.." He brushed a thumb over her forehead. "..that are making you project, making your thoughts and feelings so strong that a Viper thinks there are two people sat in its chairs, ready to go"

"Maybe it just likes me"

He narrowed his gaze. "Not funny Princess"

"I was being serious"

"The city is watching you"

"Hope it closed its eyes for the last bit" She smiled up at him through her lashes.

"Doesn't work on me remember?"

"Uh huh, it does"

"No, it really doesn't" He sighed. "I'm worried"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be sorry baby" Her Pilot brushed her hair away from her face. "Have you had any other zone outs?"

Anna stared at his chest, chewing on her lip.

"Baby girl?"

She sighed. "Just one"

"When?"

Anna curled in closer, her skin was starting to cool and the sweat was drying making her goose bump slightly. Her Pilot hooked his jacket up with his foot and lay it over her. "Thank you Cameron" A gentle kiss was placed to her hair. "Two days before we went off world"

"Anna.." He sighed resignedly. "Was it bad?"

"I think I scared Rodney"

"You were with McKay? Where was I?"

"Getting your arse kicked by Teyla"

"Not funny"

"But true"

"Hmm" Her Pilot ran his fingers through her hair. "What did you see Princess?"

Anna closed her eyes, bringing up the memories. "Rodney and I were waiting in front of the transporter on our level, I think I faded out as the doors opened because when they did Marshall was stood there in front of me. And the corridor became a stone prison cell, I remember it from when we were forced to make an emergency landing and got captured. Not by the Krill but people who worshipped them. He'd always told me that unless I was in immediate danger | should stay put, that he'd come find me"

"He was signalling to me that it was clear and I could leave my cell, I took a step towards him then.." She squeezed her eyes shut tighter. "..he started burning, and blood was coming out of his eyes and nose. And I could hear Rodney so I turned to look for him..but he was burning too"

She was pulled impossibly closer to her Pilot. "And then?"

"And then I was back on Atlantis and Rodney was staring at me like I was about to expire on the spot"

"Shit Princess"

"I think I came close to hurting him Cameron, but I was trying to save him"

"Anna, baby, why didn't you tell me?"

She licked her lips nervously. "Cause you'd have made me talk about it"

He huffed a quiet laugh, dislodging her from his shoulder a little. "Yeah I would, and we will later when I'm not stuck to my chair.."

"Classy"

"Uh huh" Her Pilot cupped her chin, raising her face. "I just want to help baby girl, and I want us to be ready for flight in a week and a half"

Anna nodded in his hold. "I know"

"And these weren't just memories Princess, you're creating images now as well, because I'm guessing Sumner never actually was set on fire. And McKay certainly wouldn't have been there"

She nodded again.

"What's going on in that brain of yours Miss Rayne?"

Anna smiled at him. "No idea"

"Well, that makes two of us"

 

"Baby?"

"Umhmm" Rodney took a sip of coffee, eyes glued to his tablet.

"Do you want to fuck me?"

He inhaled his mouthful in surprise then coughed, eyes watering a little. "What?" He croaked.

His Pilot raised a brow. "I think we've established you're a natural bottom" Rodney scowled at him. "And a wonderfully pushy and slutty one at that.."

"Hey!"

John smirked at him. "Don't be mad baby, it's great" Rodney flipped off his Pilot who rolled his eyes. "But I don't want you to feel like you can't experience sex from the other side so to speak" He grinned at him.

Rodney opened his mouth to retort then snapped it shut again. "Um, oh" He cleared his throat again. "Well, uh, I haven't really thought about it I guess"

His Pilot pushed out of the desk chair and made his way to the bed. "Try thinking about it"

"Um, now?"

"Yes baby" John smiled at him. "Now" He started sliding the buttons on his shirt free, shedding it when he was done and dropping it to the floor.

"Uh.." Rodney watched his Pilot mount the bed and crawl over to him, he tried to get his brain to focus on the question rather than the honed muscle moving beneath John's skin. He licked his lips. "Well, uh…" He was pulled into an obscene kiss, his Pilot knelt between his legs, one hand clasping the back of his neck, the other roughly palming his crotch. Rodney whimpered around the tongue currently fucking into his mouth.

John slid his mouth down over Rodney's jaw, teeth grazing at his ear. "Are you thinking baby?"

"You're not helping" Rodney groaned as his fly was unbuttoned, fingers sneaking inside his pants.

There was a deep chuckle in his ear. "I can still top even with your dick in my arse, if that's what you're worried about"

"Oh God" The Navi thunked his head back against the wall as long sure fingers wrapped around his dick, pulling him free, stroking lightly. The pornographic images in his head made him harden even more in the loose grip. "So not helping"

His Pilot pulled back, dipping his head to run a slick stripe up the underside of Rodney's dick. "What do you want baby?" He sucked the head gently and Rodney moaned quietly. "I just want to give you everything you want Rodney" John knelt up, working the buttons free on his Navi's shirt. "I love fucking you" He pushed open the shirt and ran the tip of his tongue around a nipple.

Rodney closed his eyes and swallowed.

"You're always so hot and tight" The other nipple was grazed over by teeth. "Let me do such bad things to you" His Pilot nuzzled into his neck and Rodney melted some more. Who knew he would be a sucker for nuzzling? His Pilot licked over his throat and hummed. "Always taste so good…everywhere" The Navi felt himself twitch in the other man's hand that was annoyingly still, just teasing fingers wrapped loosely around his dick. "So.." Rodney's earlobe was sucked. "..you wanna?"

Rodney would've snorted at that in a derogatory manner if he wasn't busy losing all higher brain function, his dick was being slowly stroked again and apparently he went for a little ear nibbling. "I.." His Pilot twisted his wrist on the next upstroke and sucked on the tip of his ear, Rodney moaned. "Shit..I..I don't know. Quit doing that a minute" He pulled in a shaky breath.

John raised his head and smirked at him. "Found another spot" He leant forward and ran his tongue around the outside Rodney's ear.

The Navi whimpered as his balls tightened. "So unfair. Where's your spot?"

His Pilot huffed into his skin. "You are my spot baby"

Rodney managed to roll his eyes. "That is terrible"

"You love it" John grinned at him. "Now, can we please decide who's fucking who today?"

He gaped at his Pilot for a moment. "You really have no boundaries do you?"

"Nope" Another smirk.

Rodney swallowed again, flushing heat spreading up and over his neck. "Can I..I want to feel.."

His Pilot smiled lazily at him. "Course baby, anything you want" He shuffled back and flicked open his belt before unfastening his fly. Sliding his BDU pants over his hips John raised himself up, pushing them down the rest of the way and kicking them off his feet. He hadn't been wearing any underwear and now he stood above Rodney on the bed naked, dick half-hard and twitching slightly. The Navi subconsciously licked his lips, running his eyes over all the tanned skin, exposed just for him. John dropped back to his knees causing the bed to dip slightly and slid his fingers into Rodney's already open pants.

Rodney raised his hips and let his Pilot slip his BDU's off, taking his boxers with them. John threw them on top of his own discarded ones and placed a hand either side of Rodney's chest, lowering his head again to gently suck on his dick. He moaned quietly and ran a light touch through his Pilots hair who returned the moan, sending little vibrations up Rodney's dick. Maybe he did know one of his Pilot's spots already. Rodney curled his fingers slightly, almost scraping John's scalp and got a slightly louder groan, the sucking intensifying.

He slipped from his Pilot's mouth who smiled up at him through ridiculously long lashes. "Wanna prep me baby?" Rodney felt his dick twitch. "Been a long time since I let someone do this to me" Another look from under lowered lids.

Rodney groaned quietly, whether it was at the thought of stretching open his Pilot or the fact the other man was allowing him to do this he wasn't sure. He licked his lips again, may as well make the most of it while Colonel Sheppard appeared to be in a giving mood. He was also a little worried about not knowing what to do, hurting the other man. "You do it" His voice was raspy, and unlike his Pilot his dick was completely hard, standing away from his stomach.

John raised a brow, a slight smile on his lips. "Hmm, full of surprises my Navi"

Rodney just stared back at him, lips a little parted, small puffs of air coming between them as he waited to see if his Pilot would bow to his request. There was a moment when neither of them moved then John slapped Rodney's thigh. "Move baby. You want a show you sit in the chair" The Navi swallowed down the whimper and silently nodded, rolling off the bed and perching on the edge of the chair. He watched his Pilot prop his back against the wall behind the bed before reaching to the side to retrieve the lube stashed in the bedside drawer. Settling back he eyed Rodney before pointing to the bottom of the bed. "Here baby. You'll miss the best bit from over there"

There was another sly grin as Rodney got up and moved the chair, only tripping over its legs once. "Damn, you're so fucking adorable"

The Navi glared at his Pilot as he took a seat. "Am not"

"Yeah, you really are" There was a click as the lid of the lube was popped open and John squeezed some into his hand, slicking up his own dick, running it over his balls. Rodney watched transfixed as his Pilot stroked up and down his shaft, cupped and kneaded his own balls. John made a small sound as the Navi watched the dick in his hands visibly harden, a small bead of moisture appearing at it's tip that was then smeared over the head. As Rodney flicked his gaze up his Pilot met his eyes, still the hint of a smirk on his lips but his eyes were starting to darken in that way that made Rodney all wobbly knee'd.

John slid a little lower, his knees bending, legs parting. Rodney made a weird strangled noise and there was a quietly huffed laugh before his Pilot lifted his own balls, holding them against his dick. The fingers of his other hand slid below them, tracing the perineum, following it down to his opening. They massaged gently over the sensitive skin and muscle there. Rodney leant forward a little in his seat fighting the urge to touch his own dick, he had to last, had to be ready for his Pilot.

The fingers disappeared briefly, more lube was drizzled below the balls that were pulled up and away from the place Rodney couldn't tear his eyes from. It ran down the crease, oozed over the hole then the long almost graceful fingers that had dealt out so much pleasure on the Navi's body were back, spreading the lube before the tip of the middle finger pushed in. He moaned quietly right along with his Pilot, knowing how it felt, knowing where it was going to lead heightening Rodney's pleasure.

His Pilot's legs moved up even more, opening up further to Rodney's perusal. The finger pushed in all the way, his Pilot's breath hitching as he began to gently move it back and forth. The Navi forced himself to stay in his seat, fingers curling tightly over the arm rests. God he hoped he didn't cum just from watching this, the way his balls were tightening suggesting this could be a very real possibility. A second finger joined it's fellow and John groaned before visibly twisting them, making sure Rodney could see as he withdrew them to the knuckle then made a scissoring movement. Rodney watched the hypnotizing rhythm his Pilot built, slide in, slide out, twist, stretch. His balls ached with envy and his dick was starting to leak, the Navi went to wrap his fist around it.

"No" He raised his head from the wonderful view and John managed to smirk despite the rise and fall of his chest giving away his heavy breathing and the flush to his cheeks. "That's mine"

"Bastard" Whimpered Rodney.

"Yeah" His Pilot pushed in a third finger and his head dropped back, eyes closing, fingers still. "Oh yeah" He murmured. Having seemed to adjusted John began to thrust his fingers gently in and out of himself, head lowering back down, eyes focusing on the Navi. Rodney didn't know where to look, the fingers sliding in and out of his Pilot's arse should be winning but the way John watched him always sent shivers of anticipation up his spine, often causing some embarrassing and subtle shifting in inappropriately public places. HIs Pilot wetted his lips then released his balls, the hand that had been holding them wrapping around his dick that still glistened with lube.

In a ridiculous display of co-ordination he began to jerk himself off whilst still thrusting into his arse. Rodney began to squirm in his chair, groaning with frustration, eyes flickering all over his Pilot. John started moaning quietly, his hips beginning to match the Navi's squirming motions. "Fuck, fuck" His Pilot's voice was thick and wanton, his breathing getting more and more ragged. Then he suddenly let go of himself and pulled his fingers free, legs dropping back down to the mattress. "C'mere baby"

Sending the chair back into the wall Rodney scrambled up the bed between his Pilot's legs, going in for a searing kiss. John pulled him in close, tongue fucking into his mouth while he rubbed against him treating both of their dicks to beautiful friction. Rodney matched his movements, momentarily forgetting the end goal, mind filled with only the desire to relieve his now incredibly hard dick. His Pilot groaned loudly then pushed him away. "Enough of that baby" He pulled in air. "You're cumming in my arse remember?"

Rodney whimpered again then let out a surprised yelp as he was flipped over. John grinned down at him. "And I'm still a top"

He stared up at him while his brain caught up. "Oh God, you're going to.."

HIs Pilot smothered Rodney's dick in lube. "Not quite ready for you to bend me over and fuck me baby"

"Oh God! Please stop talking!" Rodney's hips arched off the bed as he was not so gently stroked, his balls already too high and tight for this to last long.

"Thought you liked it" Another grin then his Pilot was straddling him, stopping his near painful stroking of Rodney's dick so he could hold him up, right where he wanted him.

"Not now" Breathed Rodney. Not when it was very important to not cum within the first five seconds of getting to feel what his Pilot had been for the past few days.

"Um, perhaps not" John licked his lips and started lowering himself.

Rodney held his breath, scared to move, scared to say anything that might mess this up, or change his Pilot's mind. He moaned at the first press of skin on skin, gasping as the resistance gave way and the head of his dick was engulfed by the hottest, tightest thing he'd ever felt. "Jesus" He mumbled. He watched his Pilot steady his breathing, eyes closed, tongue darting out again to wet his lips. Then he was being taken in further and he fisted the sheets as more of his dick was gripped and released by strong muscles.

When John was fully seated they both stayed frozen, locked together while each adjusted to the unfamiliar feelings. Then his Pilot rocked his hips gently and clenched around Rodney's dick, they both moaned, the Navi's fingers curling into the bunched up cotton even tighter. John moved upwards slowly, Rodney hissing quietly at the feeling of cool air hitting the dick that had been very much enjoying the snug warmth of the other man's arse. He hovered precariously over Rodney, keeping just his head nestled inside him, then he dropped back down.

They groaned together, John pausing only briefly before settling upon a steady and sure rhythm. Rodney watched, enraptured by the sight of this man, his Pilot, who was so dominant, so toppy it sometimes verged on the ridiculous, fucking himself onto Rodney's dick. His Pilot started rocking his hips forward on every down slide until he obviously hit the spot he'd been looking for, his arse clamping down on Rodney even more. "Oh yeah" He moaned. "Fuck, that's good"

Rodney could have cried, the feel of actually being inside another person, the heat, and friction, the ridges you never knew were there running over you all combining into some kind of exquisite feeling paired with the sight of one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen losing himself in his own pleasure on top of him was bringing his own climax up fast. He whimpered as his stomach swirled. "John.." He breathed.

His Pilot half-opened his eyes, never breaking his stroke. "My dick baby" His hips stuttered slightly as Rodney uncurled his fingers from the sheets and wrapped them around John's dick instead, allowing the other man's thrusting movements to drive it back and forth through his fist. His Pilot growled. "Harder" Rodney tightened his grip and moved his fist in the opposite direction of his Pilot's hips. John groaned, flexing around Rodney's own dick. "Yeah, don't stop baby"

Trying to keep up his pressure and rhythm on his Pilot's dick Rodney started to feel his own hips rising off the bed every time John dropped back down, he was chasing the feeling, his body already surrendering to the impending orgasm even if his mind was still trying to fight against it. His Pilot stopped halfway through his up stroke and Rodney nearly growled in frustration. John removed his hand from his dick and the other from the sheets, placing them on his hips. His Pilot grasped his own dick. "Work for it baby"

Not even bothering to be affronted Rodney tightened his grip and thrust up, then pulled back until just his head was sat inside, then he thrust up again. As sweat began to form on his upper lip and he could see it glistening on his flexing arms he began to force his Pilot back down onto him as he thrust his hips upwards, all the while watching as the other man ran his hand over his dick, chasing down his own pleasure. Their breathing was ragged, the room was hot and stank of sex, the obscene sound of fucking echoing around it.

Rodney groaned. "Oh God, John…please.."

"Yeah" His Pilot sounded strained. "Cum for me"

He managed two more hard thrusts before he froze, body arched from the bed, locked in a near painful position as his dick swelled inside his Pilot then shot out stream after stream of cum. He could feel it coating his own dick, the warmth of it, the mere thought of it, intensifying his orgasm. Then the muscles around him gripped his over sensitive dick even tighter causing him to moan even louder and he was vaguely aware of hot splatters hitting his chest and stomach.

 

He was curled into his Pilot's arms, the comforter pulled up high, the drying cum on their bodies ignored for now. Soft trails ran up and down his back and he hummed contentedly.

"So baby, what do you think?"

"It was.." He thought for a second. "…awesome"

There was a quiet huff of laughter. "Ok, good. For me too"

Rodney chewed on his lip. "But um.."

The trails paused. "Yes?"

"I think I prefer to be fucked"

The stroking resumed. "Dirty Navi"

"Your fault"

His Pilot hummed and pulled him closer. "Give me ten minutes ok?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader Warning - This chapter was written under the influence of copius amounts of flu remedy and a horrible cold (pity party for one, lol!) It is a little shorter than usual and I want to apologise in advance for any mistakes I've made with continuity etc. I hope it's still a half-decent installment of my story and promise chapter six will be better!

Four months ago.

Laura hurried after him, having no choice as she was held in a vice like grip. “Dr Jackson! Daniel!” She pulled against his hold. “Jackson!”

He stopped and looked at her, huffing quietly. “What?”

She rolled her eyes. “Can you please explain to me what is happening? And perhaps loosen the grip?” She waved the wrist that was still held by his hand at him.

“No time”

“Uh..” She was yanked from her position. “For fuck’s sake”

“Keep up Laura. Jack’s leaving in ten minutes”

“The General hasn’t been on time since his promotion” Upon becoming CO of the mountain base O’Neill seemed to have decided that most meetings weren’t worth turning up for, and if people really wanted to see him that badly they’d come find him, or wait the obligatory half an hour before he deigned to show up. 

“Insubordinate”

“Hey, you’re the one being rude here” Dr Jackson suddenly stopped outside a door and she let out a small ‘oof’ sound as she collided with his back. “Jesus” She muttered. Without bothering to knock he pushed open the door and shoved her inside. 

The General turned round from his coffee pot and raised his brows. “Uh, Lieutenant Cadman?’

“I’m sorry Sir but..”

“Jack..” O’Neill rolled his eyes, Dr Jackson didn’t seem to notice as he strode in. “..before you go you need to put her on the Navi training list”

They both stared at him. “Uh..”

“She’s got the gene Jack” He pointed at her, Laura decided to not be offended. He was a genius, and she’d come to the conclusion they were all a little nuts. “AND she just activated the Viper console I’m studying without even thinking about it. Just leant on it” He pointed again. “Leant on it!”

O’Neill shot Laura a look, she shrugged and then wondered if she should have saluted instead. He sighed. “Daniel..”

“You’re away for two weeks Jack. She’ll miss the next run if you faff about”

“Faff about?” 

Laura tried not to grin.

“Yes, like you usually do” Jackson waved a hand. “Oh, just put it on my desk, yes, yes, I’ll get on it straight away…in a hundred years if you’re lucky”

She couldn’t stop the small snort. Laura cleared her throat. “Sorry Sir”

The General pinched the bridge of his nose. “I should have left you on PX9-385”

“384 Jack. And I’ve saved you a lot since then” Jackson folded his arms across his chest. “Now, I want to see you do it”

“Excuse me?”

“Add her to the list Jack” Daniel rolled his eyes. “Before you miss your flight and we all die of old age”

O’Neill narrowed his gaze at his friend then turned to Laura. “You want to fly Lieutenant?”

“Um, I don’t know?” Laura offered.

“Do you want to go to Atlantis, get paired up with some crazy arse Pilot and get shot at for a living?”

“I already get shot at for a living Sir”

“Good point” He raised his brows. “Well?”

“Um” She furrowed her own brow. She’d heard the stories about the city, seen it in the digital reports, it was very beautiful. And from what she could gather they needed all the men they could get out there. She wasn’t sure about the flying part but then Laura had never let a little doubt stop her before, probably why she was the youngest ever officer to be second in command of a gate team. Plus she’d also just ended a rather messy and very illicit affair with her team leader so perhaps it was time to move on. “Um, sure. Why not…Sir?”

 

Present Day.

Laura was sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, the papers from her briefing pack spread around her. She sifted through them looking for the one that detailed something that had her curious, had done since the moment she had joined the programme. It surprised her that there was only one A4 piece of paper dedicated to it plus one large computer print out of some schematics. She picked it up and studied it again, letting out a low whistle. “This thing was huge”

“Pardon?”

She looked up to see her Pilot frowning slightly at her. Laura waved the drawing at him. “The hybrid, it must have been nearly the size of the city”

“Oh” He dropped the file he had been holding back onto the desk. “Yes, yes it was. One of the theories was that it was almost like a city itself, held thousands of Krill”

“But it only took three Vipers to take it out?”

Steven raised a brow. “Apparently. One of our hits must have got past, connected with something vital. It seemed to explode from the inside out”

“Oh” She frowned at the picture again. The basic shape was similar to that of a Viper’s, like an arrow head but this was chunkier, lumpier, with the back end squared off. Six long metallic arms protruded from the back and there were another two half way up the hull. These seemed to house the main firing mechanisms of the Krill weapons but also detached in an emergency, impaling enemy ships if they ran out of ammunition or the trigger jammed. It must have been a portion of one of these arms that had killed Anna’s old Pilot. One of the only weaknesses of the Krill were their shielding but this looked a lot superior, it must have been one hell of a lucky hit.

“Laura?” Her Pilot was still watching her.

“Um, I was just thinking. I mean, the shielding on this thing. It was better?”

He nodded. “Yes, our usual tactics had no effect. If we hadn’t been trying to collect data we would have gotten out of there a lot sooner”

“Shouldn’t the mission have been aborted?”

“It was important Laura. And we were still holding out”

She nodded, chewing on her lip. “A big risk for intel though”

“Navi..”

“With only one squadron”

“Cadman..”

“And a big loss for the sake of it”

“That’s enough Laura, you’re close to crossing a line” 

She looked at him. Steven’s arms were crossed over his chest and his jaw was twitching. “Um, right. Of course. Sorry” She dipped her head back to her paperwork. Sometimes she forgot her Pilot had lost a good friend that day as well as a CO, and how much a part of that day he really was. He never spoke about it, she’d never heard him and Anna speak about it, or Chuck. She stared at the words in front of her, not really seeing them. “I..sometimes | forget. Sorry. It hurts to lose people”

“Yes it does” There was a quiet sigh and she felt the bed shift, looking up to see him perched on the edge. “And sometimes we forget that people want to know, are scared about it happening again”

Laura frowned. “But it hasn’t?”

“Nothing like this has been seen since” He took it from her hands and stared at it. “An anomaly, a throwback..who knows. It was just coincidence we ran into it”

“But..you were sent to retrieve intel, from this ship?”

“Any ship, the Krill share information, operate as one being almost. This was the first one who’s signal we picked up” He snorted quietly. “And we thought it was good luck when we caught one only ten hours into our flight”

“Oh” Laura chewed on her lip thoughtfully. Sometimes you could fly for three days straight and not even encounter a speck of space dust. “It must have been close to the city”

Her Pilot nodded and dropped the drawing. “Yes, that’s what had the whole base up in arms, thinking an attack was around the corner. But it seemed we stopped the only ship to have ever gotten that near to Atlantis” She nodded silently again, now unsure as to what to say. Steven smiled sadly at her, placing the drawing back onto the bed. “I’m sorry I snapped honey, I guess that day..it’s still a little raw. Shouldn’t be but it is. The consequences travelled a long way down the line”

“Your squad?”

“Marshall’s squad. And yes” Her Pilot propped his elbows on his knees, fingers clasping together. “Marshall believed the bonds between squadron members were as important as those between Pilots and Navi’s. We’re old school you see? Flew here before there were tests and matches and bonding. Don’t matter how well you and your Navi work together, if you’re let down by the person who’s watching your six you’re just as screwed. He built that squad with movie nights and group dinners, sparring matches, poker nights…”

“Like you do?” Laura tilted her had.

“I learnt a lot from him. He was the best”

“You must be pretty good”

Her Pilot’s lips twitched. “I had good teachers, and of course I was always an awesome Pilot”

“Of course”

“But the only problem with Marshall’s theory is when you lose a link in the chain, a crucial brick in the wall…the rest can crumble, break apart” Laura watched him. For the first time since they’d met Steven actually looked tired, and sad. “Apart from visiting Anna I kept myself locked away from the rest of the squad. Comforted my Navi, and took a lot of comfort from her. Never forget we need you as much as you supposedly need us” He released his own hands, reaching one out to tuck some hair behind her ear. “But I shouldn’t have done. It was my job to step in, watch over them. Maybe if I’d done that, maybe the squad could have been repaired, gone back into the sky together”

She grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. “You were hurting”

“Everyone was” He smiled sadly again then returned kiss but this time to her lips before standing. “You want coffee honey?”

“Umhmm, yes please” Laura stretched out her legs, flexing her toes. “What did happen to the rest of the squad? I know Anna went to the front line”

She saw him nod as he kept his back to her, pouring water into the coffee machine. “That’s right, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to fly again. Could be dangerous. When they started recruiting Chuck made the decision to join a gate team, I went back to Earth for a while”

“And Chuck’s Pilot, your Navi?”

“Chuck’s Pilot retired, he only had a couple more years left anyway and he struggled to get over Marshall’s death. My Navi went back into the testing pool for a new Pilot”

“You didn’t miss her? She wasn’t upset you left?” He turned and raised a brow, two mugs clasped in his hands. Laura winced. “Uh, sorry. Too nosy?”

Her Pilot rolled his eyes. “Maybe. But yes, I did miss her desperately, and she was upset. But we talked about it, she knew the reasons. Agreed it was important”

“Do I get to know the reason?”

“No” He stretched out next to her and handed over a mug. 

“Will you leave me?”

“I’ll try not to”

“But it has to end sometime right?” Laura snuggled into his side, smiling into her mug as his arm curled round her shoulder, fingers running through her hair. 

“Everything does Navi, eventually”

“That’ll suck”

A kiss was pressed to her hair. “Yeah, it really will”

She took a sip of her coffee enjoying the warmth of her Pilot against her, the quiet calm he seemed to radiate. She wasn’t quite sure why they’d been matched but maybe it was this, she’d always had a lot of energy, and a terrible attention span, but with Steven she could truly relax, was aware of her thoughts actually slowing, falling into order. Laura licked her lips. “Um, can I ask you something?”

“Of course” She felt him shift slightly as he drank form his own mug.

She stared into her drink. “Why did you leave? And why come back? Did you miss the creepy aliens shooting at you?”

Her Pilot snorted quietly. “It can be a little addictive, flying into battle..but no” He sighed. “I can’t tell you why I left, I already said. It was confidential work, important. As to coming back..I’d thought about it but the idea I would be going back for some kind of revenge, retribution, put me off. Its dangerous to go into combat like that and I could do more harm than good. However then Jack got in touch, said Anna and Chuck were both back on the Navi list this run, it would be highly probable I would be matched with Anna or be placed on the same squadron as both of them. We were a good team, and he thought it may give Anna some help to see a few familiar faces”

“Oh” She chewed her lip. “Do you wish you had been matched with Anna?”

His fingers curled tighter into her arm. ”No Laura, and don’t ever think that. Marshall and I were pretty similar and the thought had crossed my mind but it also worried me”

She pulled from his hold and sat forward, turning so she could see him, crossing her legs again. “Why?”

Steven raised his brow again but smiled with it. “Because we have a lot of history. She was my best friend’s Navi, and I’m pretty sure they loved each other, or got very close to it. That would be very difficult for me to step into, we could have pulled each other down again. But despite appearances I think Anna is very different from the girl who I first met. Her years spent flying, Marshall’s death, her own injuries, they all altered whatever path she was on”

Laura nodded. “You could say that about anyone who has seen battle, lost people”

“Of course. But you asked about Anna” He smiled again. “It did change all of us. And it maybe revealed things that would have remained hidden if it had not happened”

“That sounds ominous”

“Not all of it”

Laura watched her Pilot calmly sip his drink, thinking on yesterday’s events. “Is it the reason Chuck and Lorne are having problems?”

Her Pilot raised his eyes, a brief flicker of surprise crossing his face before it was pulled away. “Any problems are between Pilot and Navi Laura, unless they begin to affect their squad”

“I know. I spoke to Chuck yesterday”

“Huh” Steven eyed her. “He brought it up?”

“Um” She dropped her gaze. “I walked in on the rest of them, they had met up after breakfast”

“You weren’t already with them? Are they cutting you out honey?” Her Pilot sat forward.

Laura looked back up and shook her head. “Oh, no. They’re great. I..I had forgotten my radio, they couldn’t find me”

Steven sighed. “Laura..”

“I know. I’m sorry. Still getting used to it”

“If theres an emergency Navi..”

“I know. I won’t forget again I promise”

“Make sure you don’t” Steven sat back. “And maybe, but that is for them to work out. At least until we get to our first run. You find any lingering doubts are usually removed during the final pairing process”

She nodded again. “And they weren’t at dinner last night”

“A good sign, I agree”

“Unless Chuck has killed Lorne and buried him under the pier”

Her Pilot grinned at her. “Let’s hope not sweetheart” 

 

Chuck took the offered coffee and eyed the two manilla envelopes that had been delivered to his Pilot’s room. “Ok, so my first question is how did they know I was here? It’s a little creepy. And secondly why is yours so much bigger than mine?” His Pilot grinned and sat next to him on the floor, placing his mug on the table and reaching for his own briefing pack. Chuck rolled his eyes. “If we’re not having sex yet you can’t have wrong thoughts, or use innuendos”

“It was your innuendo baby” 

“Not on purpose. And stop calling me baby”

“No” The Major pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re cute when you’re mad”

“I am not cute!”

“Uh huh”

“No, and I’m not mad”

“Well, sulking then” Chuck stuck his tongue out and got an eye roll in return. “Stop being a child and do your homework”

“I think I prefer you all broody and stoic”

“No you don’t” His Pilot began to pull out wads of paper. “And mine’s bigger because I’m in charge”

“Yeah right” Chuck practically inhaled half his coffee then grabbed his own envelope. “Hate this part, it’s the same shit every run”

“Chuck, that’s enough” A warm hand slid round the back of his neck. “And this one will have some new information in it” There was a brief squeeze.

He frowned then paused in his movements. “Oh”

“Want me to take it out?”

“No, no” He sighed. “I’ll need to refresh my memory anyway” 

“I’m sorry baby”

He shrugged. “It’s ok. Was a long time ago”

“A year isn’t that long ago” The envelope was removed from his hands and his Pilot spread a piece of paper out in front of them both on the table. “Can you tell me what you remember?”

Chuck eyed the schematic print out that the techs had pulled from the two Viper’s, Marshall’s one had been so badly damaged that they’d barely got any data from it. He moved to his knees so he could get a better view, finger reaching out to trace the outline of the ship. His vision narrowed, the craft seeming to lift off the page, spin slowly in a sudden darkening room. The drone of the Viper engines started to hum comfortingly in the background. “When we picked up it’s signal we couldn’t believe our luck, we had been scheduled for a four day flight and here was what we were looking for ten hours in” He licked his lips, seeing images he’d been trying to forget for the past year. “As soon as we had a visual we knew it was different, the thing was massive, my Viper felt like a fly buzzing round it. Marshall and Anna began the data raid, we were charged with recording as much as we could about the craft, and playing the distraction game”

“All of our radios were linked in as was standard procedure in a potentially dangerous situation. They usually remained silent until an emergency as you communicate through the connection to your Viper. It was starting to get a little hairy, our hits weren’t getting through, our usual tactics not working. Then Anna’s voice came over the comm, I’m not sure she was even aware she was doing it. She was telling Marshall they had to get out, practically begging him. Then he was counting down the data download, reassuring her, then….one of these..” He softly caressed the large arms protruding from the ship. “..it detached suddenly, it hadn’t been firing for a while and I think they had a problem with their firing mechanism. It’s a built in fail safe for their weaponry. It split apart and..part of it pierced the windscreen”

“The windows are like one foot square so it was the unluckiest hit ever” He smiled sadly. “Or luckiest if you’re looking at it from the Krill’s point of view I guess” Warm circles began to be rubbed across his back. He swallowed. “I often wondered if Anna could sense it you know? Maybe without really knowing herself, I mean we’ve all had that feeling, that uneasiness but not known why. Maybe hers is more accurate because of her empathic side”

“Maybe” His Pilot continued rubbing his back, pressed a light kiss to his neck. “Ok?”

Chuck nodded. “Viper One was silent, Steven was trying to raise them over the comm, it must have only been five seconds or so but..” He felt the goosebumps rising on his skin, remembering sitting frozen in his Viper, waiting, waiting for confirmation his friends were alive. “It was like forever. Then..” He trailed off, he wasn’t sure about sharing this. Even with his Pilot.

“Then what baby?” 

“I..” He shivered, that sound, it still haunted his dreams. 

“Chuck?” Evan cupped his chin, turning his eyes away from the memory, bringing him back to light, and warmth. “What happened next?”

“I..Anna, she…” He looked down at his shaking hands, and he couldn’t believe this still affected him so much. “She started screaming” His voice was a mere whisper now. “It didn’t sound human. It was so…angry, so full of pain. I’ve never…not with all the hell holes I’ve been to, all the battles I’ve fought ever heard something like that. That’s when I knew Marshall was gone” He blinked back the threatening tears.

A thumb stroked over his cheek. “And then you took out the hybrid?”

“I don’t know. It all got really confusing, we were still firing at the ship, still trying to communicate with Anna. Then she stopped screaming, or our connection was cut. We don’t know, but it went silent and we couldn’t get back through to them. Then the hybrid started to explode, seemed like it was being ripped apart from the middle. One of our hits must have snuck past their shielding. The blast radius was ridiculous, we had to retreat, as much as I hated it. Viper One was still not responding, there was nothing we could do to get it out of there”

“She sat through the blast?”

“Must have done” He took a shaky breath. “I just left my friend, floating there…”

“You had no choice Chuck. Any Pilot would order the same”

“Sometimes its not about orders” 

“I know” Evan’s hand kneaded into his shoulder, strong, slow movements

Chuck nodded and took a breath. “Anna docked nearly two hours after we did. We thought we’d lost both of them, when Landry came to tell us she was home, alive..I’ve never been so fucking grateful”

“You didn’t return to the blast zone?”

“Yes” He nodded then frowned. “She wasn’t there”

“What?”

He felt little goosebumps raise on his skin, both with the memory of searching the wreckage for any trace of a Viper and finding nothing, and with the sudden feeling of being closer to realising something that perhaps he didn’t want to know. “Anna, the Viper, it wasn’t there. We thought it had been vaporised, but..then she shows up two hours after we did. Where the hell was she?”

“You didn’t think about this before?”

He shook his head. “No, shit. I mean there was the relief she was back, Marshall’s funeral, Anna’s recovery, my Pilot…”

“Then your friend left and you blocked out everything you could”

“I just didn’t want to think about it. None of us did” He reached for his coffee, moving to sit cross legged on the floor. “It took our leader, our friend, destroyed Anna and ripped apart our squadron”

“You think she’s still destroyed baby?” Evan was looking at him curiously.

Chuck frowned at his Pilot. “Do you?”

“You knew her before”

“No” He shook his head. “Maybe still a little cracked..” He grinned at the other man. “..but not broken anymore. Your friend is helping too”

“Mitchell?”

“Yeah” Chuck took a sip of coffee. “And Rodney, Teyla…I’m not worried about Anna”

“You don’t count yourself amongst those people?”

“Maybe once”

“And now?”

“Now I think I need as much therapy as she does”

Evan snorted. “We’ll get there baby, and I’m right there with you remember?”

“Yeah, you crazy Pilot you”

 

Anna stood in front of the door, resisting the urge to twist her fingers round each other. It had been a hard habit to break, a nervous little twitch, a tell that she couldn’t afford to display when talking to certain people or having certain conversations. Of course sometimes she did it deliberately, it also gave her a nice vulnerable look that came in handy in certain situations. Marshall had been proud when he’d realised she’d finally managed to conquer it.

The door slid open and she smiled. “Teyla, thank you for seeing me”

An elegant brow was raised. “It is never a problem, and thank you for remembering to thank me”

Anna rolled her eyes and slipped past the Athosian. “Cameron says I need to work on my manners”

“And Cameron is right”

She turned and scowled at her friend. “Hey, I have manners”

“Somewhere” Teyla smiled serenely at her. “Tea Anna?”

“Um yes..please” She peered around the room, Teyla’s quarters always seemed warmer than the other parts of the city and she had always felt welcome here, and safe. “No Ro?”

“He is training with the new marines”

“Ah, poor marines” Anna turned and grinned at the other woman who remained steadfastly straight faced. She rolled her eyes again. “So, um, you sure this is ok?”

Teyla’s brow furrowed a little as she gestured to the cushions laid out on her floor. The Athosian had refused all offers of couches or chairs. “Of course, you are worried?”

She sighed, moving to curl onto one opposite Teyla. “I just..I guess I was hoping you might say no or something”

“Why?”

“Because I know I need to do it, I just don’t actually want to do it”

Another brow raise. “A confusing situation indeed” Teyla took a sip of tea. “And what do you hope to achieve through today?”

“Can’t you just show me what to do?”

“You know it doesn’t work like that Anna”

“Right” She stared into her drink. “Yeah, I know” Anna jumped as a warm hand rested over her arm. 

“I was there, and now I am here. It is ok, you can trust me”

Anna nodded, chewing her lip. “I know” She raised her head. “Did I ever thank you for helping me to not be a crazy person?” Teyla’s lips twitched. “Well, not an one hundred percent crazy person anyway”

“You did, and my reward is to see you so well, and for the most part happy” The hand squeezed briefly and was then taken away. “But the road to recovery is a long one, some say it is not something you can ever completely achieve, but we shall get you as close as we can yes?”

She nodded again. “Ok”

“So, our purpose today?”

Anna swallowed. “The pairing is soon” She took a sip of tea, the other woman waiting in silence for Anna to just spit it out. “I lied” She whispered.

“Sometimes lies are necessary”

She raised her gaze, looking into the kindest and deepest brown eyes she’d ever known on anyone. Anna closed her own against them. Teyla could also be a harsh judge when she put her mind to it. “I told everyone I couldn’t remember anything from when Marshall was killed. I lied” She licked her lips. “I got into the Hybrids systems with my mind, tore it apart piece by piece…I could even hear the Krill screaming. I was so angry and it felt so good, it made me..happy”

“Anna..”

“I’m a monster” Her hands began to shake and she placed her mug on the floor.

“You are not a monster, merely a highly skilled Empath”

“That is not what being Empathic is about Tey” She met the other woman’s eyes again. “You know that”

Teyla nodded. “You should have told me at least. We could have explored this, worked on your ability”

“I don’t want to work on it!”

Teyla frowned. “Anna..”

“I just want to be able to block the memory”

“Perhaps you should consider letting it be seen?”

“No” Anna glared at her. “Do you know what the techs will do to me if they find out? And no friendship with Jack or Hank will save me from that, hell they’ll probably never speak to me again if they find out”

“You underestimate your friends” Teyla placed her own mug on the floor between them. “However, you must have kept it hidden to have passed the matching process?”

She took a breath. “Yes, but with Cameron…”

“He is breaking down your walls”

Anna nodded. “He means well, and confronting my grief has helped, he was right. But this is something he shouldn’t see, no one should”

“He cares a great deal for you”

“He has known me for less than a fortnight”

“In this case I do not think it matters” Teyla stood gracefully, taking both of their mugs. “I will help you to strengthen your walls but I ask you to seriously consider it first”

Anna watched as she poured more tea from the pot. “I have already considered” 

She swore the other woman’s shoulders actually slumped a fraction. “You are sure?”

“Yes”

“Perhaps this was not a wise lie” Teyla turned from her task.

Anna narrowed her gaze. “Perhaps I should go”

“Do not be childish”

“I’m not!” Anna glared at the expression on her old friends face. “And I am not the only one who’s been lying, isn’t that right Teyla?”

The mugs were placed gently back on the drinks station. “Excuse me?”

She didn’t think she’d ever seen Teyla anything other than calm but there was a definite drop in temperature in the room. Anna ploughed on anyway. “Chuck was my best friend and not one of you told me. Not one!”

“I do not understand”

“Yes you do” She hissed, the old feelings of betrayal rising up from where they had been forced down, shut away. “Beaten and bullied by his own Goddamn Pilot. The one person who was supposed to be there for him”

“Anna..”

“He even looked me in the eye and told me there was nothing wrong” She could feel the permanent flaming ball in her chest get a little bigger, burn a little brighter.

“He was trying to protect you”

“Then he should work on his own blocks” Anna sneered.

“It was a difficult time”

“But now isn’t, how long have I been back hmm? And still..nothing. Even when he came to me about the problem with Evan” Anna could feel the tears pricking at her eyes, it had been bad enough when he’d lied to her all those months ago but she’d told herself that was because his Pilot was nearby, he was too afraid. But since she’d been back Anna had kept expecting him to come to her, explain and with every moment he didn’t it hurt just a little more. She willed herself down, losing it here in front of the only Empath who could read her as easily as a bedtime story was not a good idea. Anna focused on the sadness rather than the rage.

“When did you find out?” Teyla had retrieved the drinks and was moving back towards her seat.

“When we said goodbye” Anna sniffed pathetically. “I’d picked up on something earlier but wasn’t too sure, I was still a little all over the place but when he hugged me..he was in so much pain. It was all I could do to not burst into tears right there. When I said my goodbye’s to Steven I gave him a little nudge, encouraged some suspicions”

A brow rose. “But not verbally?”

Anna shook her head.

“You influenced his actions?”

“Yes” 

“Your ability is growing, changing”

“You are still stronger, I’m not a threat” Anna eyed her.

“That is not what I am suggesting Anna. But these things, they must be nurtured, guided. Remember what it was like before your Navi training helped with your Empath side? People fighting, becoming depressed, or um..” Teyla smiled a little at her.

Anna begrudgingly smiled back. The consequences of her little liaison with a young Lieutenant in her lab had made Jack’s face go a really interesting shade of red. “Are you saying I could be that unpredictable again?”

“You are skilled, and have excellent control. Even more so since Marshall’s death. But once back in the sky, the pressures, if anything happens to a member of your squadron..Cameron..”

She pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes. “I just want to be normal”

“You are normal” She shot a suspicious look over her hands at Teyla who smiled back. “For you”

“Gee, thanks for the wisdom”

“You are very welcome” 

The Athosian offered her the refilled mug which Anna took, nodding her thanks. She took a long, slow breath. “I’m sorry Tey”

“It is ok. You are worried at the moment, and there is much that maybe needs to be out rather than in yes?”

“Um, yes?” Sometimes she had no idea what the woman was banging on about.

Teyla rolled her eyes, a rare gesture of her frustration. “Things must be talked about, between the people they concern. You can not fly with so much under the surface”

“You mean I have to talk to Chuck?”

She nodded. “And Steven, and Cameron”

“Tey..”

“I will not speak of your worries or fears but you have chosen to entrust him with more than you have anyone else, does this not tell you something?”

“That he’s incredibly nosey and annoyingly persistent?” She was shot a reprimanding look. Anna sighed. “Right, ok. I’ll think about it. But even if I tell Cameron I will still need to hide this from the techs, I won’t be turned into a bloody experiment”

“With this, at least, I agree” Teyla opened the small box she had brought along with the mugs of tea, the small sweet traditional Athosian biscuits sat neatly in stacks. “Please…”

“Wow, even after I was bitchy Anna?”

“Yes, perhaps your sugar is low”

“Very funny. Thank you” Anna snagged one and took a small bite. “God, I love these”

“Do not speak with your mouth full” Teyla smirked into her glare. “Now, is the destruction of the Hybrid the only thing we are concealing?”

Anna nodded.

“Your Father?”

She swallowed her mouthful, careful not to choke. “He’s been well-hidden for years. No bugger is getting past those walls”

“I see” Teyla delicately removed a treat from the box. “What about after the Hybrid was destroyed?”

“Now that I really don’t remember”

“You are sure?”

“Yeah” Anna grabbed a second biscuit thoughtfully. “I have always wondered though. I mean, no one has ever said anything but I had to be somewhere right? And I swear it took me like three hours longer than usual to get back if my logs were correct. Weren’t they curious as to where I had got to?”

“Perhaps they have not noticed. Your return brought a lot of chaos, and joy. Details can be overlooked”

“I guess” 

“Your flight path was not recorded?”

Anna shook her head as she finished her food. 

“A mystery indeed. Would you like to try…?”

“Uh uh” Anna swallowed. “No way. I’m quite happy not having a clue thank you very much”

“Maybe best for now” Murmured Teyla. “However I would suggest that we explore your ability to influence other’s actions, this could…”

Anna shook her head violently. “No, no thank you. It was a one-time thing. I don’t want to do it again, it felt weird, and I’m not even sure I could do it again. I mean, I was mixed up and upset about Chuck, maybe it was a one-off, a weird result of specific events coming together”

“That sounded almost coherent”

“You’re mean today”

“And you are difficult, and quick tempered” Teyla closed the box, cutting off the delicious sweet smell. “But if this is what you believe to be best?”

Anna nodded. “I do”

“As you wish. Now finish your tea and then we shall begin”

 

John placed his hands on the desk either side of his Navi’s laptop and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. “I’m heading down to the gym to meet Mitch baby. You ok?”

“Umhmm” Rodney’s fingers flew over the keyboard.

“Will you miss me?”

“Uh huh”

He rolled his eyes and spun the chair, his Navi glowered up at him. “Hey”

“Whatcha doing?”

“Death glaring my annoying Pilot” John grinned at him and pressed another kiss to his lips. Rodney cursed and pulled back. “And yet he remains alive, and annoying”

“Did you hear what I just said?”

“You’re going to meet another annoying Pilot”

“Baby, be nice”

“And yes I will miss you, kind of”

John frowned. “And?”

“And I’m loading the Hybrid schematics onto my computer so I can play around with them a bit”

He raised a brow. “Why?”

“Because knowing my luck it’ll be us that will run into the first one to be seen in over a year, and I want to know how to blow it up”

“That’s it?”

“Umhmm”

John eyed him suspiciously. “Ok baby, I’m giving you that one”

“I feel so honoured”

Moving away John went to grab his gym bag. “Make sure you remember lunch Rodney”

“I am not a child”

“Then stop forgetting meals”

“I’m a genius, we’re allowed to forget stuff”

“Not vital nutritional intake baby, not when you train so much, and are sharing a bed with me” John turned and waggled his brows, he got an eye roll in response.

“Go away now”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be back in an hour, have the shower running” He smirked as his Navi flipped him off before going back to his work and headed for the door. “Be naked!”

“Bite me!”

“Will do!” 

As the door slid shut behind him he turned left down the deserted corridor, with the pairing date looming closer and closer their floor was growing increasingly quieter, Navi’s and Pilot’s were taking time out together. Squadrons were trying to build relationship’s, fine tune their already matched compatibility. He supposed he should be thankful that apart from Laura all of Squadron One had worked with at least one other member for a considerable amount of time in the past. They certainly seemed to fit nicely with each other, bar the odd disagreement. Even Lorne and Chuck appeared to be finally flourishing.

He rounded the corner and stopped as Anna stepped from the transporter, she was moving slowly, looked tired and drained. John frowned. “Anna?” She looked up at him then blinked before seeming to focus on him.

“Oh, Colonel” She smiled wearily. “Thought you were training with Cameron?”

“On my way” He peered closer. “Babe, you alright?”

“Umhmm” She nodded. “Just a little meditation with Teyla, it helps my Empath side but it makes me sleepy”

“You want me to call off the session?”

“What?” She frowned. “Why?”

“You want Mitchell sweetheart?”

Anna wrinkled her nose. “No, I want to sleep. And he’s handsy”

John snorted. “I have no doubt. As long as you’re sure?”

“Uh huh. It’s ok, he knows. I pre-warned him it was today”

“Ok Anna, you want me to keep him busy?”

“I will love you forever”

John grinned at her. “I’ll see what I can do. And you at dinner”

“It’s a date” Anna gave a half-hearted grin back then waved a hand. “Night”

“Night” He turned to watch her meander lazily down the hallway before disappearing round the corner, half tempted to go after her and make sure she actually made it to her quarter’s. He wasn’t sure Mitch would be too impressed to find her asleep propped against a wall somewhere. He stood indecisive for a minute then shook his head and moved to the transporter. She obviously did this on a regular basis, and he had yet to find her passed out anywhere, and he was sure Teyla wouldn’t have let her leave if anything was wrong. 

Five minutes later he jogged into the gym.

“Thought you’d chickened out Shep”

He flipped off his grinning friend. “For your information your Navi delayed me”

Mitchell raised a brow. “Is that so?”

John rolled his eyes and dropped his bag. “Met her coming back from her meditation thing”

“Oh, right yeah” His friend checked the balance of the sticks in his hands. “How’d she seem?”

“Ok, tired but as hilarious as always” John pulled his hoody over his head. “She do this a lot?”

“Once a week apparently”

“Well, I think once a week you’re not gonna be welcome in her bed”

Mitchell frowned. “That bad?”

“She wants sleep Mitch, don’t panic”

“I don’t like it”

“You don’t like anything when it comes to her”

“Hey”

“She’s a grown woman Mitchell, despite the image she projects. And she’s been taking care of herself just fine the past few years”

“Oh yeah, she’s done a real bang up job”

“Dick” John grabbed his sticks. “And you’ve had a few not so smart moments in your life too”

“I’m so glad I’m gonna get to hit you in a minute” His fellow Pilot glared at him.

He grinned back. “You’ll be lucky”

“Whatever”

“Awesome comeback”

Mitchell rolled his eyes. “No Lorne?”

“He’s going over the briefing pack with Chuck”

“They seem ok now” 

They stepped up to the mat and stood a few feet apart. “Appear to be. I don’t like to ask to be honest”

“Changed your tune”

John ducked a blow. “Hey, watch the face” 

“You’re too pretty for your own good”

“Thanks honey” He grinned and easily held off a couple more swings. “And I think Rodney is right. It’s their business, as long as it doesn’t affect the flying”

His opponent nodded. “Guess so”

“You and Anna ready for next week?”

Mitchell frowned and missed his block, taking a hit to the leg. He hissed quietly. “Shit, no fair” John raised a brow. “I think so” He held his hand up to signal a break before running it through his hair. “I don’t know, sometimes I think yes, sometimes I think I have no idea what’s going on”

“She’s hiding still?”

“Maybe”

John softened his gaze. “It’ll come Cameron. Trust her”

“I do”

“You sure?”

“Yes. It’s all the other fuckers I don’t” John raised another questioning brow. His friend sighed. “You remember Afghanistan John, the monumental fuck-up” He nodded, swallowing, he tried not to remember if he could help it. “You throw bonds, and Empaths, and sex, and probably love into something like that…and they’re trying to tell me they all walked away without a backward glance, with no consequences but Anna’s grief. Bullshit. There’s stuff there John, and we’re gonna be flying with three of the survivors” His jaw twitched. 

“We flew again Cameron”

“Yeah, and the first few missions were fucking scary, and skin of your teeth stuff” He threw a stick up and caught it again. “It’s not even the flying really, it’s..I’m worried and not just about Anna”

John eyed him. For as much as their conversations mostly consisted of insults or lewd comments hidden beneath were bonds of their own, a history stretching back over thousands of logged air miles, countless missions, lost friends. “It’ll be ok Mitch, they won’t let anyone in the air who has so much as a twitchy eye. As for Anna, trust her, give her a little room, she may surprise you”

“If they screw this up for her..”

“I know, heads will roll”

“The slightest hint of fucking with her head…”

“We get it Cam” John grinned at him. “We’ll even help”

He watched the other man take a breath. “Right, right, I’m sorry..”

John frowned, his fellow Pilot seemed to be under more pressure than he’d realised. “Hey, it’ll be alright. And talk to me or Ev if it gets too much, don’t shut yourself away with your Navi ok?”

Mitchell closed his eyes briefly then nodded. “Yeah, sure, thanks” His shoulders straightened. “So, now you’ve successfully made me sound like a big girl can I get on with beating your arse?”

“In your dreams flyboy”

 

Steven looked down at the woman seemingly sleeping contentedly beside him, one of his arms was trapped beneath her and he couldn’t feel it anymore but he was loathe to move it. Laura rarely slept for more than three or four hours at a time, he didn’t think there was any big trauma or bad dreams waking her she just seemed to have so much energy, so many thoughts that sleep appeared to be a waste of her time. He smiled a little fondly, it was probably the one thing she had in common with his last Navi.

He’d cautiously checked out the list of Navi’s on his arrival, she hadn’t been on it and Landry had ‘let slip’ that she had left with her latest match when he was offered a posting back at the mountain. It seemed they were going to see if they worked outside of the Viper as well as they had in it. He sighed quietly, she had been his everything, or at least he thought she’d had but he’d turned his back on her really with not as much difficulty as he should have. 

It had hurt, a real physical ache that started in his head and throbbed painfully all the way to his chest where it sat and burned, even more so when his work was completed and he’d wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around her, feel her body heat. But it had eased, as had the doubts and the guilt over his actions. He’d known it had to be done, and he knew why O’Neill had asked him. Neither could ever speak of it, not without destroying themselves in the process, and they both understood why it had to happen, had seen enough and felt enough to know it was right. It haunted him a little, when there wasn’t enough to keep his mind occupied with other things but Steven believed that was right and true, if it didn’t bother you there was something seriously wrong, in fact you should probably consider some kind of therapy, perhaps a new jacket with very long arms and some rolls of rubber wall paper. He took comfort in the fact that everyday he asked himself the same question as he had all those months ago and was still coming up with the same answer. 

He shifted onto his side carefully and draped his other arm over his Navi, moving himself closer. When he’d found Chuck he’d nearly thrown up right alongside the poor beaten Navi, that had been different from engaging in battle, fighting for your life or your friends survival, that had been brutal and animalistic, unnecessary and cruel. If the boy had died Steven would have never forgiven himself, as it was he could barely stomach having missed the signs for so long to this day. Ronan had reached the Pilot first, taken him down, and Steven had focused on the Navi but in that blood and vomit splattered room he’d sworn to Chuck he would fix it, make it right, make him pay and he still wasn’t sure if the other man had been able to hear him but Steven never broke a promise, ever.

There was a quiet murmur and soft hands slid up his bare chest, he refocused looking into his Navi’s half-open eyes. Laura licked her lips then smiled. “I fell asleep?”

“Umhmm” He smiled gently back as her hands moved up and around his neck, finger’s curling over that lovely sensitive spot. His eyes closed and he heard himself hum quietly.

His Navi giggled and he snapped his eyes open, Laura grinned back and rubbed firm circles with the pads of her fingers. “No public neck rubs for you”

Steven raised a brow. “You’re questioning my control?”

“Uh huh” Another grin.

Using his non-numb arm Steven rolled her to the side freeing his trapped appendage, trying to massage some feeling back into it. “We need to cut down on your pie portions”

“Hey!” His Navi pouted and the blissful circling over his neck stopped. “I’ll have you know many people consider me very hot”

“Do they now?”

“Umhmm, and would be honoured to have me as the cause of a numb arm”

Steven moved to hover over her. “I’m honoured”

Laura folded her arms across her breasts and pouted again, tangled red waves shifting on the pillow. “Liar”

“Never” Lowering his head he drew her into a soft kiss, enjoying the moment when his Navi relented and parted her lips under his, hands sliding up over his biceps. Pulling away he propped himself on one elbow, keeping the rest of him firmly nestled between her legs whilst the still tingling fingers of his other hand trailed over her toned stomach, under the soft curve of her breasts. “So beautiful” He murmured.

“And don’t you forget it”

Steven brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Wouldn’t dare” Running a hand back down, into the dip of her waist and then over the soft swell of her hips he curled his fingers into the flesh of her thigh, squeezing gently.

“Are you pinching an inch?”

He snorted and gripped harder, tugging so she wrapped around him once more before rolling to his back, her skin was always so soft and smooth and he loved the way it’s paleness contrasted with his own more tanned colouring. His Navi blinked down at him. Steven licked his lips. “I did all the work last time”

“Old man” Laura smirked at him then dipped her head, mouth trailing down his throat, a gentle suck to his pulse point before sliding down lower, over his collarbone, across his chest before her lips wrapped around a nipple. Her tongue flickered lazily and she hummed quietly, a wayward hand wrapping round his rapidly hardening dick. He’d give his Navi one thing, she was doing great things to his recovery time. He made an appreciative noise as she moved to the other nipple and started performing slow, firm strokes up and down his length.

Steven closed his eyes, licking his lips as he felt the slick trail of her tongue run further down his body, tracing his abdominal muscles, circling his navel. He felt himself tighten up in anticipation. There was a beep, he ignored it. Soft kisses were pressed over the area above his dick, hair began to tickle his balls, he moaned quietly. Another beep, Steven clenched his jaw, concentrated on the lips now sliding over his head, tongue gathering his taste. His Navi hummed in pleasure and he groaned in response. Another beep, he cursed quietly and shot a hand out for his radio, trying to subtly search it out.

As the wonderful warmth disappeared from his dick he opened his eyes and frowned down at her. Laura rolled her eyes. “Answer it Steven”

“Keep going Navi”

“Fat chance”

He sighed and placed his radio in his ear. “What?”

“Steven?”

“Oh, uh, sorry Hank. Is there a problem?” He gestured to his crotch, Laura flipped him off, sitting back on her heels, her weight pressing down on his shins.

“The techs have moved the meeting up Steven, I’m sorry”

He let out a puff of exasperated air. “They don’t run this fucking base Hank”

“Actually I think you’ll find they do, at least for the next week and then you can tell them to piss off for another six months”

“Pricks” He muttered quietly. His Navi was grinning at him now.

“Steven..please, I have enough shit without you turning into a teenage girl”

He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose. His old friend had never let his rise up the ranks come between them, Hank Landry was still the same man he was when they’d stepped through the gate together all those years ago and, along with O’Neill, made sure he never forgot where he’d come from or those who had stood unwaveringly by his side in battle. Steven sighed quietly again. “Ok Hank, I’m sorry. When do I need to be there?”

“Thank you Steven..” There was a pause. “Fifteen minutes”

“Right, of course” He rolled his eyes at the world in general and terminated the conversation.

“Is everything ok?” His Navi was eyeing him.

Steven shot her a small smile. “Yes honey, just a rescheduled meeting”

“Now?”

“I’m afraid so” He sat up and slid his arms round her waist. “I’m going to grab a quick shower Laura then I have to go” Releasing his hold and using both hands he pushed her hair back from her face. “Get some rest, have some downtime. Whatever you want”

“Ok” Laura nodded, chewing her lip.

“I’m sorry Navi” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips then shifted, dislodging her from his legs. “How about dinner just the two of us tonight?”

Her eyes followed him around the room. “If you stand me up I’ll kick you’re arse”

Steven shot her a quick grin over his shoulder as he made his way to the bathroom. “Nineteen hundred, pack a blanket” A brow rose but his Navi nodded again before sliding back between the sheets and reaching for her tablet. He forced himself into the shower and turned the water on before he gave in to the urge to rejoin her.

 

Anna lay in the dark, surrounded by her makeshift cocoon made up from all of the pillows and the comforter that she had rolled herself into. The small clock softly projecting the time onto the ceiling told her she had only slept for an hour or so but she felt surprisingly good, rested and calm. Her sessions with Teyla had always left her drained and shaking but this, this was what had her coming back time and again, knowing that when that had passed Anna would feel, for a while at least, at peace, contented. 

Unlike Anna’s experience of her ability and other’s reactions to it, Teyla’s had been treated as an honour, a blessing and she had been guided with great care and skill from a young age. Because of this the Athosian was incredibly talented, very powerful and after Anna’s second Bantos lesson had cautiously brought up the possibility of her also being an Empath, and wether she would accept an offer of help if she was. She had been a little suspicious at first, her Navi training had aided somewhat in the control of her Empathic side but most people, even Marshall, still seemed wary of it, scared almost that perhaps Anna could hurt them in some way. However she had picked up only genuine concern from her newest acquaintance and so had warily accepted, promising herself that if the slightest thing freaked her out she would put a stop to it.

Now, nearly three years down the line, Anna was oh so grateful that she had taken that chance, thanks to Teyla she was nearly as strong as her now and the Athosian was the only known Empath who could get inside Anna’s head. Not that she would, unless she suddenly deemed Anna a threat, stating that trust and respect were the two most important aspects of their training. It was her who had taught Anna how to finally completely block other people and when she’d finally conquered that skill she had nearly wept with relief at the blissful quiet that echoed around her mind. Of course the battering she’d taken a year ago had caused that training to waver a little, probably explained why Chuck’s feelings had nearly taken her breath away, why she’d briefly lost control.

She chewed on her lip, now she’d calmed down and her head felt a lot roomier Anna had to seriously consider talking to her friend. The issues swirling under the surface would probably not prevent them from taking to the sky but they could resurface, quite possibly at a very inopportune moment. And her old friend had never wavered from her bedside, had never given up on her and she felt she owed him an explanation also. Teyla was right, the consequences of that one day, that one decision on Marshall’s behalf had rippled out, echoed down the time line and it was still messing with people.

Anna shifted slightly, prodding about in her brain. The memory of taking out the Hybrid was definitely fuzzier, and if you weren’t looking for it as Anna was you’d probably never spot it but Teyla had recommended one more session a couple of days before the pairing process just to be sure. Cautiously moving around she explored the rest of her blocks, they all seemed to be in place and standing solid, except for Marshall who now stood tall and proud in her mind, the image of him no longer being marred by wide dead eyes and splatters of red. There was no need to hide him anymore, Cameron had seen to that and when she’d come round in Teyla’s embrace the other woman had gently told her that her new Pilot had done an excellent job in helping Anna see through her grief and anger, that she should definitely consider trusting him with everything else.

Slowly easing herself back she snuggled in deeper. It had been a long time since she’d woken like that, Teyla’s arms wrapped tight around her, it meant either she’d struggled coming back around or something had worried her friend. She chewed on her lip again, as gentle strokes had run over her hair Anna had blinked dazedly across at the figure sitting quietly on the cushion previously occupied by Teyla, Ronan looking back, expression blank, body still and seemingly relaxed. Anna liked the Satedan, he didn’t waste time, or words, on anyone he thought wasn’t worth it and he loved Teyla with all of his slightly bruised and battered heart. If you pissed him off you knew about it, if you did good you were treated to a rare grin and possibly a hearty slap on the back which would send you staggering forward. No bullshit, no lies, no false airs and graces, what you saw was what you got and Anna liked that, the world was confusing enough to her sometimes without having to try to figure out people’s motives. 

He’d given an almost imperceptible nod as his wife was talking about Cameron and Anna had given a small smile back, by being validated by Teyla and Ronan her Pilot had earned himself a rare honour, and Anna’s final and complete trust. So she may still be zoning out every now and then but that wasn’t Marshall, that was Anna being stressed about the pairing, the memory of the Hybrid worrying at her already worn thin nerves but now that was nearly gone and for at least a little while she didn’t need to think about anything other than flying, her friends and her Pilot. Rodney was monitoring the city for her, his programmes running quietly and unheeded but Atlantis seemed happy enough to leave her in peace again for now. She nodded to herself and unwrapped the comforter, a shower then coffee and one of her remaining contraband brownies. Cameron would be back soon, Colonel Sheppard had already kept him away for an extra half hour or so, whatever he was doing wouldn’t last much longer, unless he’d tied him up and shoved him in a storage cupboard somewhere. Anna grinned at the image as she padded over to her bathroom, she may even crack open that posh body wash Jack had brought her in celebration.

 

Stepping into their bedroom Cameron dumped his gym bag on the floor and eyed the rumpled bed, it looked like his Navi had been dreaming again, and not good ones if the disarray of the sheets were anything to go by. He sighed quietly, perhaps he should have asked more questions about this meditation thing she did with Teyla but he’d wanted to build on the trust that was slowly forming and not turn himself into some complete tyrant. He could hear the shower running, debated wether he’d be welcome or not, he was sweaty from his workout which had somehow overrun by forty-five minutes and his muscles ached.

He pursed his lips in thought then a brow rose as the sounds of quiet singing reached his ears. Anna was singing, in the shower. This was a new one. Cam strained to hear the exact tune but it was lost under the splashing of water, occasionally stopping completely as his Navi probably washed her face or rinsed her hair. His lips twitched, the basic melody seemed pretty upbeat and there was no sign of any sobbing so he was chalking this one up as a good thing. He stripped off his sticky sweats and tee and padded towards the bathroom, carefully picking his way through the steam that had filled the entirety of the small space. Slipping into the shower he grinned as the entertainment got a little louder, and clearer, then slid his arms round her waist. 

Anna gave a surprised shout and dropped the bottle she was holding. “Hey!”

“Room for one more?” Cam nipped at her ear.

“This is very presumptuous of you Colonel Mitchell” His Navi turned and raised a brow.

He grinned. “I can hear you better in here” 

She wrinkled her nose. “And I can smell you worse”

Cam rolled his eyes before shifting them so the water hit his back. “My turn then Princess” He reached for his own shower gel, ensuring he didn’t end up smelling like a girl and popped open the top, it was taken from his hands. “Anna..”

“Let me, please”

He raised a brow, this afternoon was getting more and more interesting. His Navi was kind, loyal and generous but no one appeared to have ever bothered to teach her any manners, or the concept of sharing. “Maybe we should make this Teyla thing twice a week” She stuck her tongue out and he grinned. “Ah, there you are”

“Shut up Cameron, before I change my mind”

He smirked at her but kept his mouth firmly closed.

 

Half an hour later.

Cam groaned quietly into the pillow, keeping his eyes closed. Apparently Anna Rayne’s diverse range of skills also included being able to give quite awesome massages. After taking the body wash from his hands and giving him one last pointed look she had gone to her knees, meticulously washing every part of him with strong deliberate circling movements, turning him so she could go on tiptoes and treat his hair and scalp to the same attention. His definitely interested dick had been given a cursory clean down which he was now glad he hadn’t bitched about.

After his Navi had shut off the water he’d been silently led from the bathroom, towel running gently over him to capture most of the water and then he’d been quietly ordered to lay on his front on the bed. Staying silent he’d complied, this was unlike anything Anna had done before and Cameron had been curious about what was to happen next, half-suspecting he’d be found in a couple of hours time stark bollock naked and tied to her bed. 

The first drops of liquid had made him twitch slightly before surprisingly strong hands had worked over the back of his body, pressure increasing over the tight spots and the hard knots in his shoulders, whatever oil she was using warming as it made contact with his skin, seeping into his tired muscles and joints. His aching thighs and tight calves had been treated to the same rub down, the wonderful firm strokes kneading him into submission. He’d actually nearly fallen asleep but then she’d replaced the strokes of her hands with her whole body, full slides up and down his back, slick skin and full breasts never breaking contact. 

Anna slid back up his body again and he began to gently rock his hips, pushing his erection down into the mattress seeking out a bit of much needed friction. The wonderful body contact disappeared, Cameron gave a quiet disgruntled growl and got a light slap to the arse. He twisted his head and frowned. “Careful Princess..” It was a half-arsed warning, the work on his back had taken the last of his worries and anger away. His Navi smiled serenely and murmured quietly for him to turn over. 

He shifted carefully, keeping her knelt between his legs as he settled back down and lazily ran his eyes over her. Anna had pinned her hair up, presumably to keep it free from the oil she was using but a couple of strands had escaped and were stuck to her neck and shoulders, her whole body glistened and Cameron felt himself lick his lips, heard an almost imperceptible appreciative sound escape his throat. Anna appeared not to hear, leaning to the side, dipping her hands into a bowl and bringing out more oil, he hadn’t seen anything of the process when he’d been on his front and now he noticed it was almost stringy in appearance. Cam eyed it suspiciously. 

She smiled at him again. “Its specialist” Hands slid down his arms and back up, stroking over his chest and across his stomach. More oil was gathered and his Navi shuffled lower, coating his thighs and then down to his feet.

“You missed a bit” His hips instinctively rose off the bed a little as long firm strokes travelled up his right leg. “And what do you mean specialist?” Fingers brushed the inside of his thigh and his dick noticeably twitched before they disappeared, seeking out the tightness around his knee instead.

Anna started on the other leg. “It means its used for ‘special’ types of massage” Deep pressure over his thigh. She leant forward slightly and her breasts grazed his leg, the lower part of her arm ghosting over his balls.

He moaned quietly. “Baby girl..” His skin was starting to warm even more and he was sure it wasn’t just the oil.

“Be quiet now”

Cam subtly flipped her off but kept his mouth shut, lids growing heavy as he watched her move over him, never quite the contact he wanted but pretty awesome all the same. He still hadn’t a clue as to what had brought this on but his Navi obviously felt the need to do it and Cameron didn’t want to interfere or deny her, and himself, the presumed reward. He allowed himself to relax a little more as she began to work on his arms, strong circles over his biceps, then down, even small movements focusing on his wrists, palms and fingers. His eyes slid completely shut as she moved her attentions to his other arm.

Then her hands were running over his chest, curling around his sides, always the same firm pressure, until every muscle in his body had been worked into blissful relaxation. Except one. There was a gentle grip on his dick and a slow smooth stroke down. Cameron snapped his eyes open. “Anna..” Too much of that on top of the past hour or so would mean this was going to have a very happy ending way too soon.

She smiled up at him, another slick hand cupping his balls, rolling them slightly before slipping below them. And now his dick was being treated to a lovely strong rhythm whilst his balls were massaged, the odd firm swipe over the outside of his prostate bringing him dangerously close. He closed his eyes to the sight of her before him, naked and slick, straddling his thighs whilst her hands ran over him, lips slightly parted. He tried to think of anything else but his own imagination was working against him, and Anna now had the added benefit on top of her already quite impressive skills of knowing just how tight to grip, just where to rub the pad of her thumb on every downstroke.

Her hand stopped at the bottom of another lovely stroke and his head was instantly engulfed in warm and wet. He moaned and opened his eyes again, his Navi was sucking gently, hand wrapped around his base keeping him in place, the fingers of the other softly playing with his balls. She slid her mouth down a little further and he resisted the urge to thrust up, remembering her recently bruised throat, instead murmuring his appreciativeness, spreading his legs a little wider. 

Cam lost himself in the feeling of sliding in and out of her mouth then her tongue flickered over him and he felt himself twitch in her hold. Now he was getting dangerously near to the point of no return and he so desperately wanted inside her. “Baby girl, thats enough” He licked his lips, taking a breath and looking down to meet her gaze. Her eyes met his and he swore there was a half-smile quirked at him before she removed her hand from his dick and took him all into her mouth. He felt the resistance of her throat before it opened up, letting him slide inside. “Fuck” He whispered.

She hummed around him then swallowed. Cam groaned and thunked his head back onto the pillow, sliding a hand into her hair as she released him and slipped back up his length. “Princess, your throat..” He felt her shake her head slightly under his palm then Anna took him back down, a finger running over the outside of his prostate again before slipping between his arse cheeks. “Anna..” He could hear the slight growl in his voice, this wasn’t something he usually allowed. Giving another quiet hum she slid inside him and curled her finger, seeking out the place that was probably going to make him cum right there at the first touch wether he liked it or not. 

He swallowed, licking his suddenly dry lips, this always felt weird and he didn’t particularly like the loss of control when someone located your…his Navi brushed over his prostate as her mouth slid down his dick, strong suction and wet heat, he groaned, felt everything tighten. Circling gently Anna kept up the wonderful rhythm she’d settled into on his dick, occasionally letting him slip deep down, swallowing around his head, and Cameron decided to just go with it, could feel what he was sure was going to be a very nice orgasm building. His lips parted in anticipation of the inevitable waves that would knock him sideways for a few blissful moments. 

Then Anna pulled off and removed her finger. He growled again, which turned into a strange strangled noise as Anna quickly rose up and seated herself fully on his dick. She stayed still and he focused his eyes on her, trying to regather his brain cells. “Just what has gotten into you today baby girl?” Cam slid his hands over her stomach up to caress her breasts, enjoying her oiled skin slide under his palms. 

“You” She smiled at him from under her lashes.

He raised a brow then grinned and slapped her arse. “You gonna move?”

“You gonna cum in the first five seconds?”

“Possibly” He kneaded the cheek in his hand. 

She smiled down at him and began small little thrusts, eyes sliding shut as her own hand slipped between her legs, finger circling her clit. Cam lay back and enjoyed the view, and concentrated on not cumming in the first five seconds. As soon as his Navi began to ripple around his dick he gripped her hips raising her slightly, pushing up so he could hit deep then slipping back out until he was nearly free of her. With him controlling the thrusting the hand that she had been supporting herself with moved from his chest and ran over her breasts, tugging lightly at her nipples.

Cameron moaned at the view above him and sped up his movements, it was now clear that this was obviously some kind of genius plan to kill him. Or at least put him out of action him for a few days. His stomach began to swirl and his balls tightened up, and now he was slamming up into her, vaguely aware of her quickening breath, the beautiful little sounds she always made as her body crept closer and closer to climax. He grit his teeth, trying to hold out for the last few moments that she needed. His hands kept sliding free of their grip because of their slickness and he pulled her down into a kiss, giving him room to keep up his thrusting. His fingers twisted in her hair as her muscles clenched around him and then everything tensed, verging on almost painful before it released and wave after wave of pure bliss hit him bodily, momentarily taking his breath away.

He quietly swore as his dick slid from her, the oversensitized skin twitching at the faintest of contact. Anna was still sprawled over him, head pillowed on his chest, legs curling between his now he wasn’t inside of her. He ran his hands over her back. “Ok my baby girl?” His voice sounded lazy and he could feel his eyes getting heavy again.

“Umhmm”

“Your throat..”

“It’s fine Cameron”

He forced his eyes to stay open. “Is everything ok Anna?”

She nodded, escaped tendrils of hair getting stuck to his chest. “I just..thank you. Thank you for helping me with Marshall. I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure from the techs and I haven’t made it any easier, so, thank you” Cam stared at the top of her head, suddenly feeling a little more awake. Her fingers trailed through his body hair. “I can see him properly now, like I should, and that’s because of you. You gave him back to me”

He refused to believe his throat was tightening up for any other reason than that he was thirsty.

“I think..I think we’re going to be ok”

Cam stayed quiet but reached down and rubbed soft circles over her shoulders. 

“There’s other stuff I want to tell you but I can’t, not until after the pairing, I can hide it but you can’t” He frowned and opened his mouth but she spoke before he could protest. “It won’t affect the flying but I think it will help” His Navi slithered up his body, bringing the comforter with her, but didn’t meet his eyes, instead tucking her head under his chin. “I trust you Cameron” 

He closed his eyes, wrapped his arms round her. “Thank you Princess. I trust you too”

She nodded.

“You sleeping there?”

“Umhmm”

He huffed a quiet, weary laugh. “Just don’t drool on me ok baby girl?”

There was a light pinch to his side but she didn’t move. Giving in to exhaustion Cam let his body sink deeper into the mattress, content that for now everything was…ok.

 

Teyla smiled as her husband pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “You felt that Ronan?”

He raised a brow. “Yes”

“Anna is projecting”

The other brow met it’s fellow. “She has lost control”

“No” She reached up, rubbing his pendant between her thumb and forefinger before trailing her hand over his bare chest. “She is still blocking the important things but her feelings, the good ones, they are being sent outwards”

“What does this mean?”

“It means that she is growing stronger my love, and that she is changing once more”

“For good?”

She nodded. “She is not ready to withstand another loss but it is almost there, if things remain as they are Anna will continue to flourish. I hope Colonel Mitchell stays by her side”

“And us”

“Umhmm” Teyla rolled to her side so she could face him. “I feel more at ease today than for many months”

“You were worried earlier”

“I could not bring her home” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “I did not need to” Teyla nodded. “I was concerned but now I have had time to think upon it I believe it was a good response. Anna can bring herself home now”

He smiled. “Do you feel better after your rest?”

“Yes, thank you Ronan”

“I am sorry to have interrupted your sleep”

Teyla smiled back. “It was a welcome distraction”

“The..projection was very powerful”

Her smile slipped into a smirk. “Yes it was. There will be many others who shall be wondering on what caused their actions today”

Her husband snorted and pressed a kiss to her forehead before rolling out of bed. “I shall begin the shower”

 

Rodney shifted slightly under his Pilot’s weight, they were both on their hands and knees, John draped over his back, fingers laced with his own, the breaths moistening the skin on his neck beginning to slow. He licked his dry lips. “I think I may need another shower”

There was a huffed laugh, muffled slightly from the way the other man’s face was still buried in the crook of his neck.

“Are you ok?”

His Pilot came out of his hiding place. “Yeah” John cleared his throat. “Yeah, you?”

“Um, I think so”

“I’m uh, I’m sorry baby. I didn’t hurt you did I?”

Rodney shook his head.

“Rodney?”

“No, no you didn’t. I promise”

“Ok, good”

They stayed locked in their positions, a thoughtful silence filling the room.

“What the fuck was that?”

Rodney snorted quietly.

“It’s not funny baby”

“It is kinda”

“No, its really not” John slid gently from him, grunting quietly before rolling onto his back and looking up at Rodney. “Seriously is it just me or was there…you know?” He waved a vague hand.

He nodded and lowered himself to the bed, not bothering to turn over, content to sprawl face downwards. “There was” He mumbled into the pillow.

“That’s weird right?”

Rodney gave a half-hearted shrug. “I thought it was quite awesome” There was a poke to his ribs, he twisted his head to the side. “Hey!”

“It was weird”

“Awesome”

“Weird” 

“Awesome” Rodney grinned as his Pilot’s lips twitched.

“Weirdly awesome”

“Deal”

“Shower?”

“Oh yeah”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up in chapter six....further consequences of Anna's projected feelings, especially for Evan and Lorne, and the Squad finally takes to the sky. Also McShep will be back in full force after playing more of a supporting role in chapter five ;-)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

Chuck stumbled slightly then righted himself, shooting looks each way down the, thankfully, deserted corridor. He’d been alone in his quarters when it had started, after going through the Hybrid schematics he’d needed an hour or so to himself. His Pilot hadn’t questioned it, just lightly brushed his lips across Chuck’s, told him to radio or come back if he needed to.

He had stood in the shower for a while, letting the hot water just run over his face and hair, mingle in with the more privately shed tears. Marshall’s death had broken Anna but it had left a bit of a dent in Chuck too, even without his own Pilot’s abuse, they had been close friends and he’d viewed the older man like an older brother or Uncle. In a heart wrenchingly ironic twist probably the one person Chuck would have trusted enough to go to about the beatings would have been Marshall Sumner.

When he’d been sure the crying was done with he’d stepped out, roughly drying himself before pulling on sweats and a tee, old battered Air Force ones he’d nabbed from the stores over three years ago. He’d give the military one thing, they sure knew how to make the most comfortable, and flattering, workout gear. Chuck had been addicted since O’Neill had sent him off to the mountains supply closet for some dry clothing, with the stern bollocking about why water fights weren’t acceptable on military bases still ringing in his ears. To this day he swore the man had actually found it pretty funny.

Stretching out on his bed he’d grabbed his book and coffee, an easy movie playing quietly in the background, and tried to lose himself in sensory overload. Two pages in he’d become aware of a niggling in the back of his mind, pulling his concentration from the story, making him shift restlessly every few seconds. Eventually he’d reached for his tablet, checked his diary in case he’d forgotten a meeting or appointment, it was empty for today. Then he picked up his radio, tested the connection, it was soon confirmed to him that was all working as it should, the tone of the techs voice suggesting he was at the very least being eye rolled down the mouth piece.

Then Chuck had decided that maybe he was a little tired, that today had been too much on top of the confessional yesterday. He’d left his coffee half-drunk, closed his book, shut off the movie and tried to get some sleep. The niggle got stronger and moved, downwards. He’d squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the way his legs were starting to jiggle under the comforter, shifted to his side, buried his face in the pillow. And now he was trying to make the usually quick and easy journey to his Pilots quarters unseen because his skin had just kept heating, and his insides had gone all squiffy and fuzzy, and it was really hard to hide an erection in very old battered sweats.

He peered round the corridor, another empty hall and it seemed it wasn’t just him suffering, if you could call it that, with this annoying little niggle. And he knew just who to blame, once he was done…well, doing whatever his Pilot would let him to get rid of it. “Bloody Empath” He muttered and skirted round the corner, Evan’s room was about halfway down. He strained his ears, the place seemed deserted. Jogging as well as he could with a raging hard-on he resisted kissing his Pilots door like someone who has just survived a sinking ship does the ground and ran his hand over the chime, repeatedly.

On the sixth swipe it slid open. He let out a small surprised yelp as he was yanked inside and slammed up against the wall beside the already closed door. Chuck moaned his thanks as his Pilot plastered his body against him, rough kisses running up his throat, the graze of teeth as he was pushed harder into the wall, the other mans hips grinding against his. His head fell back against the hard surface as he felt his dick being rubbed against his Pilot’s through their clothes, heard the ragged breathing that told him they were both so needy, so ready. He whispered his Pilot’s name, sliding his hands over Evan’s bare shoulders and into his hair so he could encourage him to keep doing those wonderful things against the sensitive skin of his throat.

His Pilot groaned, a deep low sound that vibrated through Chuck’s chest, made his balls tighten and caused him to see little starbursts in front of his eyes. Evan shook his hands off him and moved back, his pupils were huge, bare chest rising and falling as he pulled in air, obviously trying to reign himself in. His Pilot licked his lips, Chuck watched his mouth, could feel his own lips parting in appreciation. Evan took another step back. “I..with the risk of sounding like some cheesy eighties porn movie, you shouldn’t have come”

Chuck snorted weakly, still propped up by the wall. 

“It isn’t supposed to, this isn’t the way..” His Pilot trailed off, eyes dropping for a minute, running his gaze over Chuck’s body barely hidden in the thin jersey, a small wet spot on the pants. He licked his lips again. “Fuck, you’re really hot”

“So I’ve been trying to say” Chuck eyed him, his Pilot didn’t even seem to have the higher brain function to reprimand him over his remark. “Evan..” Those eyes locked with his again, he felt his dick twitch. “I don’t know what you had planned, or how long you wanted to wait but…I trust you. I know you won’t hurt me” The man in front of him’s jaw twitched. “Don’t make me go home and jerk off in the shower”

There was a quiet growling sound, his Pilot’s fists flexed. He began to close the gap between them again and Chuck suddenly realised Evan must have already tried the jerking off in the shower thing because his sweatpants were stuck to his legs in places and small drops of water were still running down his chest. He must have interrupted him. He took in the wonderful view of his Pilot as it advanced upon him, teeth catching at his bottom lip. Evan’s eyes dropped again, subconsciously mirroring his actions.

A hand was leant against the wall by his head, another by his chest and it should have felt claustrophobic, should have brought back too many memories but Chuck couldn’t think of anything past how beautiful the eyes staring into his were and how close that wonderful body was to his. He reached out tentatively, brushing his fingertips over his Pilot’s nipple, caressing down his chest. The man under his touch tensed but didn’t say anything, didn’t move away again. They were close enough now that Chuck could feel the heat radiating from Evan’s body, could smell the body wash he’d just used, close enough for his Pilot’s heavy breathing to disturb his hair as he bent his head and licked up a stray drop of water that was running down the other man’s throat.

“Navi..” The whispered endearment sent a shiver up his spine. No one had called him that for a long time, not like this and not using it to show affection, desire. He pressed kisses up his Pilot’s neck. The man moaned softly. “Baby, what is this?”

Evan pressed in close again, keeping his neck exposed, letting Chuck keep on tasting. His Pilot circled his hips slowly, letting their still covered dicks brush over each other again. “It’s beautiful” Chuck nuzzled behind Evan’s ear, his lips brushing over skin as he spoke. “It’s bliss, and love, and trust, and giving yourself up…and letting yourself have what you deserve, what you need” There was another groan as he bit gently down on his Pilot’s jaw before working his way back towards that wonderful dip at the base of his neck. He hummed quietly as his tongue dipped into it, gathering the last of the shower water, a hint of newly formed sweat tingling on his tongue. The hum turned to a grumble as his Pilot moved away again, the arms that had been boxing him in against the wall disappearing.

“None of that Navi, it makes you sound spoilt” Chuck scowled at his now slightly smirking Pilot. “No expectations” He nodded dumbly. Evan held out a hand. “Come on then baby, we’ll go slow” His lips twitched. “And you’ll do as you’re told”

Nodding again he slipped his hand into his Pilot’s, it’s strong warmth already familiar and comforting and for tonight enough to get his whole body to goose bump in anticipation. His dick was still painfully hard and he could still taste his Pilot on his tongue but if this was what Evan needed then Chuck would do everything he could to comply. He was gently led to the bed, encouraged to sit on the end of it as his Pilot also lowered himself down so they sat side by side, twisted to face each other. Fingers slid over his jaw, Chuck swallowed, felt his mouth once again open slightly, ran his teeth over his bottom lip. He watched as his Pilot’s eyes closed, copied his gesture as the first kiss brushed almost chastely over his lips.

The second kiss brought the taste of his tongue. Sliding past Evan’s lips and into Chuck’s mouth, a soft caress that made his stomach flip before fingers twisted in his hair, pulling him closer. Chuck wound his arms round his Pilot’s neck, clinging on as the kiss deepened and he began to be slowly devoured. He heard himself moan quietly, Evan’s kisses were like no other he’d ever felt, the emotion poured into them was breathtaking and he imagined this was the kind of kissing lovesick schoolboys did. Hot, desperate, raw. Then the kiss was broken, allowing them both to take some much needed breaths before his Pilot reached forward, light fingertips over Chuck’s mouth, he pursed his lips to press a gentle kiss on them.

Evan smiled then pulled Chuck in for another kiss, it seemed to be some kind of obsession for the man but like hell he’s complaining because his Pilot is really, really good at it and the Navi could feel his body melting into him, starting to tremble with pleasure as hands slid up under his tee. His body started to goose bump again under the caresses and he leant away, raised his arms to signal that they can most definitely do away with some clothing now. There was a slight tugging at the corners of his Pilot’s mouth but Evan complied without a word, sliding the cotton up his chest and over Chuck’s head. The tee fell to the floor and fingers trailed through his chest hair, nipples pebbling as thumbs brushed over them, lightly at first then with more pressure making Chuck want to arch into the touch.

Running his hands across his Pilot’s broad shoulders, then down over his arms Chuck smiled as the man gave an almost imperceptible shudder. His eyes closed as hot kisses were placed up his throat, tongue darting out behind his ear before warm breath hit it. “Ok baby?” He nodded, not sure what his voice would sound like anymore, or if it even still works at all. He hasn’t made out like this since high school, forgotten how hot and flustered it could get you. “Lie back for me Navi” Teeth run over his ear before his Pilot backs off, those eyes watching him like they never want to miss a thing.

Swallowing Chuck scooted up the bed, settling his head on just one pillow, embarrassingly aware of his tented and more than slightly damp sweats. He was sure that you couldn’t maintain an erection for this long without some serious damage. His Pilot stood, distracting him from his slightly horrifying thoughts as he pushed down his own pants and kicked them off to the side. Evan hadn’t been wearing any underwear either and Chuck could feel his tongue darting out in appreciation, damn the man was beautiful. He was shot a small grin before his Pilot crawled up between his legs, finally hovering over the Navi, weight supported by his arms. 

Then his entire body was crushing Chuck down into the bed and Evan was kissing him with what seemed to be all their pent-up desire and desperation, then there was a tongue dancing over his neck, down his collarbone, teeth nibbled at his hard, tight nipples. He gave an unabashed groan of pleasure, running his own hands down the muscular back, feeling them shift under his Pilot’s skin as he moved over Chuck’s chest. Caressing lower he felt the wonderful curve of his Pilot’s arse under his palms, gripped with his fingers and pushed him down. Chuck arched upwards, grinding his hips as the other man had done earlier, the feelings even more blissful now there was only one very thin layer between their dicks.

His Pilot growled round Chuck’s nipple then pushed himself back up, pinning the Navi back to the bed, halting his movements. Chuck could feel the hardness brushing against his thigh as he braced himself above him. Evan was almost panting again now and his eyes were nearly completely black with desire. “Chuck..”

“I won’t break Evan” He reached up as best he could and placed a kiss on his Pilot’s mouth, just a gentle press before laying back down. “I trust you”

“Just let me..”

Chuck nodded, released his hold on his Pilot.

Evan’s eyes were half-lidded as he dipped his head again, more attention to the Navi’s chest, his achingly hard nipples, he could hear his own breathing becoming heavier but Chuck tried to stay still. This couldn’t stop now, he couldn’t afford to scare off the other man. A slick trail was drawn over his stomach muscles, circled his navel before running across the top of Chuck’s sweats. He groaned quietly, fought the urge to raise his hips off the bed in invitation. Sure fingers hooked into his waistband, his own eyes closed as the soft material slid over his hips, down his legs. There was another lick under his navel, across the base of his dick, another groan but this one was shakier, giving away his desperation, his raw burning desire.

“Look at me” The words are whispered but an order nonetheless. Swallowing he opened his eyes, looked down to meet his Pilot’s gaze. Chuck could see his own dick so close to the other man’s face, could feel his hot breath ghosting over the head. It twitched at the sight, pre-cum already leaking from the tip. “Keep looking” He was treated to a small smirk as he nodded vigorously. Chuck could smell the scent of sex, watched as his Pilot blatantly inhaled deep breaths of it, his fingers bunched up the sheets as he waited. 

No more waiting. Chuck watched as the tip of his Pilot’s tongue snuck out, felt it on the end of his dick, knowing Evan is tasting the clear, slick liquid, eyes locked on his face as he rolls it on his tongue. There was a quiet whimper and Chuck suddenly realised it was him. Lips wrapped around the ridge of his head, tongue swirling over it, Chuck managed to bite back the next whimper as the tongue flicked under his glans. Then his Pilot lowered his mouth, letting Chuck slip inside deeper and deeper. Suction, tongue, hands. God, his Pilot’s mouth is heaven and he didn’t need any order to watch, Evan looks beautiful like this.

Chuck gave thanks these rooms were soundproofed as his Pilot slid his tongue over his balls, ran it down to testingly swipe between his cheeks. He gripped the sheets tighter. “Oh God” Seemingly taking his muttered cursings to mean Chuck was into this still sometimes taboo move his Pilot encouraged his legs to bend, pushing his feet up the bed. Hands spread him open and Chuck’s hips lifted involuntarily off the bed. “Fuck, yes please” He ignored the faint huff of laughter, mainly because it was immediately followed by his Pilot’s tongue teasing at his hole.

His tongue… so clever. Chuck gets lost, somewhere between the images he’s been told to watch and the sweet torture that’s being dealt out on his body. He started to squirm and his hips were pinned down by an arm, crying out as a slick finger slid in. The licking stopped, his Pilot gazing up at him with concern etched on his face. “No..good” Chuck manages to grind out. A brow was raised and he rolled his eyes, nodded. “Don’t stop” Ever, he silently adds in his head, cause no one has kept him this hard for this long without some kind of painful accessory being used.

Evan keeps looking at him, crooks his finger, Chuck felt himself clench and he’s pretty sure his face did something funny. The finger slides gently out then back in again. He let out a puff of air. “Shit” 

“Good?”

“Obviously”

“No cheek Navi” His Pilot ran his tongue up Chuck’s dick, slipped in another finger.

“Bastard” Muttered Chuck.

There was a hum over his head and he groaned, feeling the fingers inside of him begin to twist and stretch, ever so gently, tortuously slowly. He wanted to tell his Pilot he wasn’t some kind of virgin, to get the fuck on with it but then he figured it would be back to the jerking off in the shower plan. And a long time until he got laid again. He felt himself slither out of the man’s mouth, fingers stilling. “Do you want to cum like this baby?”

Chuck smiled at his Pilot, trailed his fingers over his cheek. “No”

“Promise?”

“Yes” Evan smiled back at him and pressed a kiss to his palm before pulling his fingers free and pushing off the bed. Chuck watched as he went to his bedside, grabbed a small bottle and a foil packet. He propped himself on his elbows. “You don’t need that”

His Pilot frowned at him. “What?”

“The condom, we’re all tested, I haven’t been with anyone else”

Evan stood by the bed, erection standing out from his body, fingering the small packet. “It’s a sign of respect”

“I don’t need it. Everything you’ve just done shows respect” Chuck lay back down. “We’re both clean. And I want to feel everything, want you to feel everything”

His Pilot closed his eyes, Chuck watched as more liquid beaded at the tip of his dick. The man must have the control of a God. Evan licked his lips, opened his eyes. He followed his Pilot’s movements as he stepped back around the bed, knelt between Chuck’s legs that were still bent and open. Naked on his knees, between Chuck’s thighs his Pilot looked up at him, a hint of doubt on his face still. He sat up, plucking the lube from his hand and clicking open the top. His Pilots dark eyes remained fixed on him as Chuck filled his hand with the cool liquid, the other man’s dick jumping as he drizzled it over the head. Wrapping his fist around Evan’s dick he began firm slow strokes, his Pilot groaned and drew Chuck into a kiss, hips starting to thrust into his grasp. Fingers buried in his hair, crushing him to his Pilot’s mouth, their moans being lost in each others mouths as Evan thrust harder.

Chuck pulled in air as his head was wrenched back by the grip on his hair. His hand was removed from the other man’s dick then he was forced back down as Evan lowered himself, bearing down on him, hands pressing into the mattress either side of the Navi’s head. He wrapped his legs around his Pilot’s waist, whispered his name as Evan’s dick brushed over him before pushing against his entrance. The momentary charge of pain only pushed Chuck’s pleasure higher. His Pilot stilled at his cry and Chuck pushed forward with his hips, another stammered out curse at the feeling of being so full, so stretched. Evan groaned. “Navi..”

“It’s good, good” Chuck arched his neck, pressed small kisses to the other man’s mouth, curled his fingers round his neck. “Please..”

Another groan and his Pilot began to move, slow to start, eyes searching Chuck’s for any fear, any pain. He left himself open, rocking back into the thrusts, letting his eyes show just how damn good this felt and Evan better not even think about stopping now. It seemed to work because now Chuck is watching his Pilot lose himself in the act, sweat starts to bead on his forehead and his head goes backwards, eyes glazing as he in turn watches Chuck beneath him. This isn’t going to last long, with whatever shit Anna is sending out plus the build up, the continual hesitation and the foreplay, in a way he can’t believe they’re both still hard. His Pilot hits his prostate and Chuck groans, muttered curses falling from his mouth as Evan strikes it again and again. He snakes a hand between them and starts to stroke himself, he can’t hold off any longer, and he is so so close. 

“God, you’re amazing” His Pilot is just about managing to keep watching him but his thrusts are becoming less smooth, a flush showing on his cheeks. Chuck knows his upcoming climax will already be making him flex and pulse round the other man’s dick. Evan growls, his eyes practically burning into Chuck’s. “Yeah, cum for me Navi, you’re so beautiful like this”

Chuck gasped at the first shot of his climax, he knew it was coming up fast but his Pilot’s words…he stops breathing through the second and third, the image of his Pilot swimming in front of him. As he shudders through his body’s last pathetic attempts at prolonging his pleasure his name is groaned out and his Pilot uses his entire weight to slam into Chuck. The Navi still had the vague sense to tighten round his dick and in return was treated to a slightly surprised look of bliss on Evan’s face as he stayed still, buried deep, his own body twitching with electric waves of orgasm. The hips nestled between his convulsed once, twice, his Pilot’s eyes closed, arms by Chuck’s head shaking. Keeping his legs locked round the man’s waist Chuck tugged his Pilot down, easing the pressure on his arms, searched out a lazy post-coital kiss.

As their tongues slowly caressed each other he felt himself being rolled to the side, Chuck unhooked his legs, entwining them with his Pilot’s in a more comfortable position. Hands gently caressed over his back, Chuck felt sweaty and sticky, and his cum was getting all mushed into his chest hair but he couldn’t bring himself to move an inch away from Evan. Eventually his Pilot gave him no choice, separating from him and caressing down his cheek. “All ok baby?”

“Umhmm” He licked his lips then wrinkled his nose. “I’m now gross though”

His Pilot snorted quietly. “Shower?”

“Umhmm” He went to roll from the bed and his hand was grabbed, he turned and frowned. 

“I have a feeling our hand was a little forced” Evan raised a brow as Chuck blinked back innocently. “But thank you, that’s the most comfortable I’ve ever felt the first time with somebody”

He swallowed. “I..um, thank you?”

His Pilot released him and rolled off his side, padding round the bed to take his hand again. “We need to work on your ‘expressing your emotions’ skills”

“Emotions are gross”

“And maybe limit your Anna time”

 

Evan lazily soaped up his Navi, the decision may have been taken out of his hands but he now felt sated and relaxed, and there seemed to be none of the usual anxiety he experienced after sex. This man who had ended up in his life because some alien tech said they were a good match was perhaps what Evan had been looking for all these years. Chuck seemed to be able to soothe his fears of hurting his partner, and in a way he hoped his Navi would push him to share his memories, maybe he could ease those too.

He’d always been wary of having anything more than sex with anyone, eventually even that becoming full of pitfalls too, especially once Evan realised he had inherited his Dad’s little Dominant streak. One night he’d gathered the courage to visit one of those clubs, he’d left twenty minutes later reassured he had no desire to bind and gag someone, and the thought of purposefully inflicting pain had made the bile rise in his throat rather than his dick. But still, he liked to control and he had a thing about his bed partners being under him in all senses of the word. He figured this was probably what made him a candidate for the programme, along with Mitchell and Sheppard. Even when they were trainees back at the Academy each of them had always found someone to willingly call them Sir, or happily let them take the lead, dish out the orders. 

He gave a small content smile, perhaps, just perhaps this was going to work, everything was going to be ok. Chuck’s wet skin pressed against his chest, tongue licking the water from Evan’s neck as his chin rested sleepily on his shoulder. Evan rinsed the soap from his Navi’s back before stepping away to look at him, Chuck blinked lazily. Evan cupped his chin with a hand. “Tired now baby?”

“Umhmm” As if to provide proof his Navi stifled a yawn.

“Wanna stay?”

“I wanna move in”

Evan grinned at him, reaching round to shut off the water. “We’ll see” He grabbed his weakly protesting Navi’s hand and dragged him out of the bathroom, snagging a towel on his way out to run over the both of them. When they were dry enough not to soak the sheets he tapped Chuck’s bare arse. “Bed Navi, I’ll set the alarm”

His Navi made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. 

“We’ve got our med check tomorrow remember?” Another gagging sound. “Better hope they don’t decide to check your prostate” Evan ordered his lights off and slid in between the sheets.

“Euw” His Navi curled in closer, sliding a leg between Evan’s. “And possibly ouch”

“I hurt you?” Evan frowned at him in the dim light. 

“No” Chuck buried his face in the crook of his neck. “But having stuff shoved up there tomorrow is not going to be as fun as it usually is”

Evan sighed. “Chuck..”

“Unless you want to, you know..”

“Go to sleep”

“Ok”

 

Laura stood against the railings, a whole balcony’s worth of space between her and her Pilot, clad in nothing but skin she should have felt exposed despite the privacy of the place he’d chosen for their ‘date’ but as her fingers slid over her sex all she could process was the desire. She leant her head on the handily placed strut, feeling her hips begin to roll, listening to her own quick pants. She watched her Pilot through the heat that was building behind her eyes, his pupils were dilated, nostrils flaring slightly and his mouth was open, tongue touching his teeth. Laura knew that little display was intentional, she imagined her nipple caught between the two, felt hot wetness on her own fingertips almost instantaneously. 

Steven could do that to her, with just a look Laura would know whether she was about to receive a bollocking or a really good fucking. He did it sometimes in briefings or at dinner and she often wondered if one day he would be able to make her cum with just that expression. Sometimes it frightened her just how much she craved his company in only the short time she’d known him but was consoled by the fact the feeling seemed to be mutual. The words he whispered in her ear during sex were full of devotion and adoration, a stark contrast to what he was doing to the rest of her body. Steven Caldwell liked it rough and, luckily, so did Laura. Not that she was into that ‘tied up and flogged’ shit but being a woman in the marine core meant Laura always found it refreshing to find a man who had no fear of throwing her down and taking her hard.

She focused on his eyes, pulled her bottom lip through her teeth. Her Pilot growled quietly, the slow stroking he’d been treating his own dick to picked up a notch. She watched his hand until she couldn’t take it anymore, and the bastard would wait until she was begging or cumming all over her own hand before moving from his position. Laura closed her eyes, rearranged her body so her back arched and her shoulders relaxed, like this she could move like a cat and if there was one thing that drove her Pilot crazy it was watching her walk towards him with her hips swaying and her chest pushed out.

Opening her eyes she sauntered sinuously toward Steven, keeping her hand between her legs and her eyes fixed on his face, he looked her up and down before locking with her gaze, eyes full of promise of what was to come after this little display of hers. She tried to keep her pace steady, stopping far away enough that she had to lean forward for her lips to be an inch shy of his ear, nipples just brushing his chest as she did so. She heard his breathing quicken, smiled to herself. Her mouth brushed his ear. “Fuck me” She whispered.

Laura went from standing provocatively in front of her Pilot to being pinned against the wall with her hands above her head in under two seconds. He held them in place with only one of his hands, the tongue in her mouth and the dick against her pelvis thrusting in beautiful synchronicity, conveying the urgency of his desire. She smiled to herself again, then Laura moaned as he cut off their kiss and his mouth latched onto her nipple instead. She squirmed in his grasp which only tightened, his free hand gripping one of her hips and keeping her against the cool surface of the city’s wall. Her head tipped back and she cursed quietly as he licked and sucked over the increasingly sensitive skin, then he bit down and she bucked against him, tearing free from his hold on her pelvis. 

She rocked against him, settling into his rhythm, feeling his dick slide between her thighs. A hand moved round and cupped her arse, drawing Laura closer into her Pilot’s body whilst she moaned again. Her nipple was still between his teeth and now his dick was grinding against her clit, her hips bucked and her head slammed back into the wall as she came hard. Whilst she was still cumming her Pilot pushed two fingers inside of her and she felt herself contract helplessly around him as she soaked his hand. Laura panted quietly as she came back down, hands still held over her head which was probably the only thing keeping her upright at the moment. “Navi” She raised her gaze, Steven met her eyes and licked over his fingers, groaning with pleasure. “Fuck, always taste so good honey”

Laura leant more of her weight against the wall, his eyes were so dark now and so intense, she could feel her nipples hardening again already, her stomach tightening. How could she be so turned on again so quickly?! Pulling gently against his hold she gave a sigh of relief as he released her hands, lowering her arms carefully before placing her hand against his chest. Her Pilot took three steps back and she followed before stopping, and going to her knees. Steven stayed quiet, letting her look over his dick, straining hard against his stomach. 

She started at the bottom, taking her Pilot’s balls into her mouth, sucking gently, rolling them over her tongue before moving slowly to the base of his dick. A long slick stripe up that tortuous vein that ran the length of it. Laura listened carefully, he had good control but his breathing was sounding laboured already. Encouraged she slid her lips over the head and sucked. Her Pilot groaned, both his hands burying in her hair, pulling her closer, trying to get her to take more of him in. Laura stiffened against his efforts, she wanted to deal out a bit of what he’d just done to her. She indulged in licking all around the top, kissing it before sucking him in over and over, all the while maintaining her eye contact with him. His lips were parted and she could feel him flexing instinctively under her touch. Then without warning Laura took his whole length into her mouth in one swift movement, his hips jerked forward and he swore loudly. Her Pilot began to move to and fro in her mouth, she could feel him hitting the back of her throat on each push in and tried to relax, wanting him to cum like this, wanting to taste him.

But it seemed Steven had other ideas, after only a few minutes he pulled out and yanked her to her feet, face twisted with the effort of his restraint. He pointed to the blanket that had been dragged to the far corner after their meal. “Hands and knees” The words were ground out through gritted teeth, Laura fought the urge to smirk at his crumbling cool control, instead deliberately swaying over to where she’d been ordered. As the sounds of him behind her grew closer she hurried the last few steps and dropped down, arching her back and thrusting her arse in the air. There was a growl, a hand made contact with her arse cheek hard enough to sting. Laura bit back the whimper as he draped himself over her, lips brushing her ear. “Still want to be fucked honey?”

Laura nodded, keeping her mouth clamped shut. 

“Say please”

She shook her head, wiggled her arse back so it pushed against his dick.

“Stubborn little Navi” His teeth pulled at the skin of her neck. “One day I’ll have the time and the patience to make you beg” Laura shook her head again. He huffed a quiet laugh in her ear. “We’ll see sweetheart” Her Pilot thrust forward and Laura groaned along with him at the wonderful feeling of finally being connected to each other, feeling full and stretched, by him. She arched her back further, thrust back into his pelvis. There was another huff over her ear. “Yeah, you feel so good too” His weight disappeared from her back and his fingers wrapped around her hips. 

Laura braced herself as best she could against the blanket covered surface, sliding forward an inch at the first strong thrust. Her Pilot slammed into her over and over again, the grip on her tightening so she didn’t fall face first onto the hard floor, showing a little gratefulness she lowered her top half, placing her head onto her forearms, letting him hit deeper whilst she remained a little more stable. He gave a grunt of appreciation, upping the punishing rhythm that was only serving to get her wetter and wetter, and hotter and hotter. As she felt herself climbing Laura stamped down the desire to reach between her legs, she wanted to cum like this, could cum like this, with just her Pilot claiming her repeatedly. And then those beautiful words started falling from his lips and that was all Laura needed. As she bucked and convulsed under him her Pilot dropped his body back onto hers, his movements becoming jerky as he whispered sweet sentiments in her ear, finally stilling as she felt the last twitches of him deep inside.

Steven stayed on his hands and knees as she slipped off him and turned to lay on her back, reaching up and stroking down his cheek. He looked down at her. “I swear one day you’re going to kill me honey”

She smiled. “Thats the plan”

Grinning back he leant down and dropped a kiss on her lips before rolling to the side, placing his head on her chest. Soft fingers trailed down her side. “Any pain?”

Laura returned the touch, stroking over his back. “No. It was perfect”

She felt more than heard him chuckle. “Good. Although perfect may have to be a once a fortnight thing”

“Old man”

“Yeah” He placed a kiss on her breastbone. “Ten minutes honey, then we need to vacate. I don’t really want to be discovered like this in the morning”

“You’re no fun” Laura smiled at the retributory pinch to her side. 

“I’m not supposed to be fun, I’m in charge remember?”

“Umhmm, always had a thing for authority figures”

“So I noticed” He shifted to his back, place his arm behind his head. “No chatting up Landry”

“Too old” Laura sat up carefully. She was going to ache in the morning.

“I’m not far off”

She eyed him. “Really?”

He sighed and looked up at her. “Laura, honey, how did you think I got all my scars and shiny medals?”

“Um, you bought them off eBay?”

He rolled his eyes. “I obviously didn’t work you hard enough tonight”

“Can you do harder?” She grinned as he flipped her off. “I mean, without having a heart attack or something” 

Laura let out a squeal as her Pilot grabbed for her and rolled her under him. “Ready to find out?”

“Already?” She tried not to giggle as she made a lame arse attempt at escaping his tickling, she didn’t want to put the half-hard dick brushing against her thigh off it’s game. For an old guy her Pilot had a pretty impressive recovery time.

 

John looked down at his Navi who was washing the last of the body wash from his legs, the sex was always good but tonight had been…different. He couldn’t put his finger on it but he had no doubt it would bother him enough a bit later to sit and think when his brain wasn’t quite so fucked out and fogged up. He could barely resist Dr McKay as it was but earlier he’d suffered an embarrassing loss of control, he frowned and tugged his Navi back to his feet. Rodney stared at him, that usual little flicker of worry crossing his face that always made John’s heart melt in a way he would never admit to anyone, except maybe to his Navi, one day. If they could ever be more than Navi and Pilot. 

“I..is something wrong?”

John smiled. “No baby, you need to relax, and stop asking me that all the time”

The other man scowled at him. “I do not ask all the time”

“Well, whenever we’re naked together”

“I do not!”

“Yeah you do” John pressed kisses up his neck, licked up the water. Rodney shivered. “Although it is kinda cute”

“I am not cute” Rodney slid his hand into John’s hair. 

He groaned quietly. “None of that” He straightened.

“Why?” Wide blues eyes stared back at him.

John narrowed his gaze. “You know why. And quit with that look, you’re not so innocent anymore”

“Your fault”

His lips twitched. “Yeah, great isn’t it”

His Navi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re great”

“Umhmm” He ran a finger down Rodney’s arm. “I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“You already asked me that” The Navi was frowning at him.

“Reassure me”

The frown deepened. “You didn’t hurt me”

“Promise” John carefully examined the man in front of him’s eyes.

“I promise. Why?”

He sighed, began returning the favour by washing Rodney over. “I just, I usually try to be more careful than that”

“You don’t have to be careful all the time anymore” Rodney was watching his hands run over his chest, leaving soap suds in their wake. “I don’t want you to hold back what feels good for you”

“Baby, you always feel good” He performed slow strong circles over Rodney’s legs.

“You know what I mean Pilot”

John stood back up and raised a brow. “Pilot?”

“Thats what you are” To his credit Rodney stood firm. “And you call me Navi all the time”

The other brow raised. “True. Don’t you like it?”

“Don’t you like Pilot?”

“Feisty today Navi” He grinned as the other man stuck his tongue out. “And so mature for a genius”

“You’re right, at least one of us should act like a grown-up”

“What I just did to you would be highly illegal if we both weren’t grown-ups” John grinned as Rodney flushed. “I love you still do that”

“Do what?!”

“You know what” He pulled him in for a kiss, enjoying the way his Navi opened up for him. For all his bluster Dr McKay was a true bottom, and no amount of genius was going to change that. John pulled back. “I love the way you still get all embarrassed despite the things I’ve done to you”

“Hey, you make me sound like some kind of..” Rodney trailed off and frowned.

“Can’t locate a suitable word genius?”

“I hate you” 

“No you don’t” John slid his gaze down. “At least your dick doesn’t, and thats the most important thing”

“You are so wrong”

“I’m hot enough to pull it off” John winked at him. His Navi pulled a face. “Your disgust isn’t believable when your dick’s half-hard”

“Stupid dick”

John snorted and pulled him back in again, spending a very satisfying few minutes devouring his Navi whilst feeling Rodney’s stupid dick go from kinda interested to very interested indeed. The other man’s skin was slippery and wet, and very very tempting. He pulled back and turned his Navi, pressing him face first to the tiles. John pushed against his back. “I don’t think your dick is stupid” He was pretty sure his Navi was flipping him off somewhere down by their legs. “I happen to like it, almost as much as I like being buried in you to the hilt”

There was a quiet whimper.

“You just have this amazing arse, whatever I do to you it just keeps going back to being so incredibly tight” He sucked gently on his Navi’s neck, scraped his teeth over the flesh there. “And the heat up there…” John groaned quietly, rubbing his erection over Rodney’s arse cheeks. His Navi squirmed slightly. “And I wanted to double check I didn’t hurt you firstly because I was genuinely concerned, and secondly because I am genuinely interested in getting back in there very soon”

The man pinned between him and the wall mumbled something intelligible. John leaned in closer. “What was that baby?”

“Nothing”

“Was it, oh God yes please, right now?”

“I have never said anything like that”

“I can assure you that is not true. Maybe you were too busy to notice” John slipped to his knees, mouth trailing down his Navi’s spine. Rodney flinched but leant his head against the tiled surface, feet spreading a little to steady himself. Humming his pleasure at the sign of willing John slid down further, enjoying Rodney’s quiet whimper as he spread his Navi open wider, slowly circled with his tongue. Shower water trickled down the Navi’s crack and dripped into John’s open mouth, making it easy for his tongue to part the skin and slide in. 

His Navi let out a small desperate sound that sparked up John’s nerves and the other man pressed back against his face, unintentionally opening himself wider in the Pilot’s tight grip. John groaned and swirled his tongue, he’d done this to Rodney that first night they’d spent together wanting to test the waters on how Dr McKay would feel about another man licking him over. It had always been a weakness for the Pilot, loved the taste on his tongue, the way it lingered, the heady musk that wound up his nostrils as he pushed in deeper. And, he’d discovered over the years, it could bring someone to orgasm without a single touch to their dick if you did it right and that flipped John’s switch all the more.

But not tonight, he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he wanted back in. John pulled back, grazing his teeth over a full cheek at the small cry of protest from somewhere above him. Standing he grasped Rodney’s hand, pulled him from the shower without bothering to dry either of them off, just making for the bed, pushing his Navi down on to the pillows. Rodney lay there beneath him, sprawled out like he’d already been fucked, which in a way John mused he had but there’d been no sign of discomfort in the shower and he trusted the other man to tell him if he wasn’t ready again yet. He grabbed the lube, grinned at his Navi as he slid his feet up the bed, knees bending and once more opening himself up to John.  
“Such a good Navi”

“Bite me”

“Maybe”

Rodney glared at him. “No more marks”

John licked his lips, looked over the body below his. Two sucked up bruises showed up in stark contrast against the pale skin, one on the man’s ribcage, the other, John’s personal favourite, right by the base of his Navi’s dick. “I like them. Like knowing they’re there”

“That’s because you’re a twisted pervert”

“Yeah, lucky you” He clicked open the bottle of lube, drizzled it between Rodney’s legs and up and over his dick. It jumped slightly in his light hold as the cool liquid hit the sensitive skin, his Navi giving a quiet hiss. The first stroke up Rodney’s dick cut off whatever witty remark was coming up next and John relaxed, watched his hand stroke up and down the other mans length, slid his other down to slip a finger inside. He heard himself growl quietly, the man was still hot from John’s earlier attentions and just about open enough for him not to have to worry about any prepping. Rodney thrust gently against his hand, John looked up at him through his lashes, feeling his skin heat. “Yeah, still ready for me baby”

Pulling out his finger he nestled between his legs, lining up his own dick with the Navi’s, the wonderful feeling of slick lube sliding between them. Hands ran up his arms, across his shoulders, fingers stroking over his neck before carding through his hair. It was like that move was his Navi’s failsafe, knew it drove John nuts, he hummed appreciatively and drew him into a kiss, starting to slowly rock his hips. He didn’t know how long they lay like that, small soft kisses, deep passionate ones, all the while rubbing against each other, building both of them higher and higher until John felt himself hanging on the edge. He pushed up onto his elbows, slid low enough to push at his Navi’s entrance, slowly but firmly thrusting against the ring of muscle before suddenly slipping inside. He groaned along with his Navi, gave a few more gentle thrusts. “Ok baby?”

“Umhmm” Rodney’s hands slipped down his back, fingertips grasping at John’s arse as his own hips lifted from the bed, encouraging him to move. 

John complied, gentle thrusts in with a savage withdrawal, adding in an extra shunt every time he bottomed out. This seemed to be the style Rodney liked best and thats all John wanted to do at the moment, give his Navi everything he wants, make him feel pleasure each and every time he laid himself out for him. Dr McKay had become an addiction for the Pilot, one that was readily available and never gave him a shitty comedown, just morning after morning of waking contented and sated, although maybe sometimes a little achey. And it only took for his Navi to curl into his arms or stretch out a stroking finger to have John ready all over again. 

The fingers in his hair tightened their grip and he suddenly realised that the other man was quietly murmuring his name, eyes closed, head thrown back, small pants puffing out his lips. John slipped a hand under his Navi’s hips, lifting him as best he could whilst still holding his own weight up on the other, he could feel the sweat starting to bead on the back of his neck, licked some from the top of his lip. Rodney opened his eyes at the change of position, they were glazed with sex and he looked so damn beautiful another small piece of John’s insides turned to a useless mush. The corners of his Navi’s mouth curled slightly through the haze, like he knew exactly what was going on with John’s apparently liquifying internal organs at the moment. 

He couldn’t smile back, the feel of Rodney’s damp skin pressed against his, the small smile playing on his lips, the way he felt running over the Pilot’s dick were all ganging up on John’s control over his orgasm. It was building fast, shooting sparks through him, igniting every nerve ending. He licked his lips again. “Now baby” He forced the words out, watched as the Navi’s hand shot forward and grasped his own dick, stroking quickly as he flexed and rippled around John. He groaned, dipped his head to get a better view, cursed quietly as he had no choice but to speed up his movements. Rodney was practically holding himself a foot off the bed, hips thrusting back against John’s, a mix of Athosian and English words falling from his lips. Another damn thing that always did strange things to John’s dick. The sparks became a blaze and he buried his face in the Navi’s neck, slamming into him now, any kind of rhythm lost in the beginnings of his climax. As a last save to John’s ego his Navi came first, just, sucking in a deep breath before groaning out John’s name.

He dropped to the bed, probably crushing the man beneath him but Rodney seemed to quite like that too, John’s weight pressing down on him, anchoring him to the bed, at least until he needed to breath. There was a weak shove at his arm and he rolled off, spread out indecently across the sheets and closed his eyes. “Hmm, thanks”

“Oh, you’re welcome”

John cracked an eye open, turning his head on the pillow to lazily grin at the very dishevelled Navi. “You look really hot after I’ve had you” He was silently flipped off before Rodney rolled to his side. John gripped his chin and pulled him close for one more kiss before he passed out. 

 

The next day.

Cameron strolled into the mess, the smell of breakfast making his mouth water. He’d had a sparring session this morning with the Athosian that his seemingly still content Navi had waved him off to, stating she was going to take a shower and she’d see him at breakfast. He had woken this morning with Anna still tucked under his chin but at some point in the night they must have rolled because they were laying on their sides, her legs entangled with his. He smiled slightly at the memory as he grabbed a tray, it was usually at his own encouragement that she would curl up in his arms to sleep and he would more often than not wake to find her balancing precariously on the edge of the bed still fast asleep, with her back to him. 

He’d taken a bit of a beating this morning, distracted by the thought of maybe bringing up just what exactly happened at these meditation sessions with Teyla, unsure if it crossed a line or could be in some way viewed by Anna as a break of trust. And that was something he didn’t want to do, trust was needed to fly well, keep them alive and if Cameron had learnt anything about his Navi in his short time with her it was that it was personally important to Anna as well. For a young woman with so many secrets she appeared to have a big problem dealing with people who lied or hid things from her, anyone who didn’t come right out and say what they thought were treated with a lot of suspicion. He had pulled her up on it a couple of times, trying to explain that in certain circumstances it was best to smooth over the gritty truth, tried to encourage her to look for the reason for their evasion.

Anna had just sighed and looked at him with tired eyes. “I find the world confusing enough without having to wade through people’s bullshit Cameron” He’d gotten nothing more out of her until he had changed the subject. Maybe being an Empath had shown Anna a world he could never see, where people said entirely different things to what they were feeling leaving her confused and anxious. He grabbed a coffee and sighed himself. Or maybe she was just a difficult and stubborn little brat. Turning from the counter he picked his way through the other tables, making for the one that already held Sheppard, McKay, Chuck and Anna. He grinned at the twitch in Sheppard’s jaw, it was a brave Pilot who took on those three alone.

“Need backup Shep?” He dropped into the chair next to Anna and slung an arm across the back of hers.

His old friend flipped him off. “No, thank you”

“We made Colonel Sheppard blush” His Navi was grinning at the other Pilot as she curled her feet under her, leaning into Cam. 

“A difficult task Princess” He placed a plate in front of her. “Here”

“Oooh, pie” She eyed him. “Is there ice cream?”

“It’s nine in the morning”

“So?”

“No ice cream before midday”

“That is not a proper rule Cameron”

“It is now Princess. And say thank you”

She glared at him. He raised a brow. Anna picked up her fork, still scowling. “Thank you”

“Better” He looked away from his Navi to reach for his coffee. They were staring at him. Cam rolled his eyes. “What?”

“Would you like to adopt me too?” Chuck was grinning at him. Sheppard snorted into his coffee. “Ow!” The other Navi rubbed his hand where the fork had struck. 

“Nice reflexes Princess”

“Thank you Cameron” She stuck her tongue out at Chuck who flipped her off. “And there’s no need to be all sarky today, just cause you got laid last night”

“Anna..” He turned back to stare at him. “Um, last night…”

“And this morning”

“Shut up Rayne” Chuck hissed at her over his plate.

“Yeah, you should have seen him when he came in this morning, he had this big old dopey grin on his face” Now McKay was smirking at the quietly fuming Navi, his Pilot seemingly content to sit back and watch.

“Umhmm” Anna swallowed her mouthful. “Major Lorne must have awesome skills”

“Baby girl, that’s enough” Cam gently tapped her hand with his own fork.

“Or a really big…”

“Lorne!” His head shot up at Sheppard’s unnecessarily loud greeting. The Major was stood a foot away from the table, staring at them like they were all going to suddenly explode. “Good morning” Sheppard grinned. “Please, join us”

Cam shook his head. “You sound like an extra off Pride and Prejudice”

Sheppard just grinned back. “You’ve seen Pride and Prejudice?”

“It was a lucky guess”

“Bullshit”

“More stimulating meal time conversation” Lorne placed his tray on the table, slid into a chair adjacent to his Navi.

“You should have been here earlier” Anna winked at him.

Someone kicked Cam under the table. “Hey! What the..”

“Sorry” Chuck flushed a little. “I was aiming for Anna”

“Missed” His Navi grinned at Chuck. Cam cuffed her gently, she turned to glare at him. “Hey! Watch the hair”

“Just passing it on baby girl” He looked her over. “And did you even do your hair this morning?”

“Yeah, you look like the before picture today babe” Sheppard smirked over his coffee at her.

“Your hair always looks like the before picture” Anna waved her fork at the Colonel’s head. “Do you purposefully do that to it?”

“Nope, its my natural beauty shining through”

“Yeah, you’re real pretty” Cam rolled his eyes at his friend before turning back to the Major. “You had your meds already today?”

Lorne nodded. “Yep”

He shot him a look. “And?”

“And we’re all good to go”

(“So I’ve heard”)

(“Shut the fuck up”)

Cam ignored the muttered argument going on behind him. “Cool, thats all of us right?”

Lorne nodded again. “Yep, nothing left but the pairing now” He prodded his breakfast. “Don’t know why they have to make us wait a week in between”

“To build the anxiety” Cam swivelled to look at Anna. She shrugged. “They say it’s to strengthen the bond, build team morale. That’s a load of crap. You’re meant to dwell on it, means when they take a look in your brain all your uncertainties are right there for their viewing pleasure”

“Seriously?” McKay frowned.

“Yes, but you didn’t learn that off me”

“Who did you learn it off?”

“Somebody”

“You’re very annoying” Anna’s best friend scowled at her and stabbed up a potato.

“I agree. And we talked about this” Cam raised another brow.

“We talk about a lot of things Cameron, I can’t be expected to absorb it all, especially in such lengthy and large volume”

“He’s always loved the sound of his own voice” Lorne smirked at him whilst Sheppard nodded his agreement in the background.

Cam smiled back. “Lots of people have loved the sound of my voice”

“So wrong” McKay screwed up his face. 

“Don’t do that baby, its not attractive” Sheppard mirrored Cam’s position, spreading an arm over the back of his Navi’s chair and leaning back with his coffee. “So, is there a way to beat them?”

Anna frowned. “The tests?”

“Yeah” 

Cam watched her profile carefully as she eyed up Sheppard. Then Anna nodded. “Yes, but it would take a long time, a lot of practice”

“And for an Empath?”

He leaned forward. “Shep..”

Anna waved him off. “You’d have more of a chance, but you’d still need to be very strong, tight control”

“Like you?”

“Maybe”

“Thats enough” Cam leant over the table again. “Whilst Anna may have a slim chance of beating them we don’t, and I don’t want any of you knowing anything you can’t hide”

“What does that mean Mitchell?” His friend frowned at him.

“Exactly what you think it means Sheppard” He finally got the gist of what exactly drove Anna nuts, trying to hide whilst wanting to be honest. Trusting her friends but not the techs that rummaged about in their heads. Hating the little lies she spewed out everyday. He and Anna would be paired up, it meant she’d be in his head with the techs, could shield him, but the rest of them would be totally open. And Sheppard was smarter than he looked.

“Cameron…” A hand rested on his arm. Anna shook her head silently. 

He could feel the others eyes on them. Jumped as the radio crackled in his ear.

“Mitchell”

He pressed the earpiece. “Yes Sir”

“Briefing room now. Inform the rest of the squad”

“Yes Sir” He tapped his radio. “Shit”

“Cam?” Sheppard was looking at him with concern. 

“We’re wanted for a briefing. Now”

“Ah, shit”

 

General Landry tapped the pad in front of him with his pencil, looking over the people gathered round the briefing table. “We are pushing up your launch date” He gestured to the man on his left. “I’ve spoken to Caldwell this morning, he thinks you’re ready. Formed enough of a bond to make it through the pairing process sooner than would usually be expected. The other squads will join you next week” They stayed silent, faces impressively blank. He sighed quietly, Viper Squadron One would probably make a hell of a gate team too. “If any of you can think of any reason that you’re not ready speak now”

“Or forever hold your peace”

‘..es”

Caldwell cleared his throat quietly beside him. Landry rolled his eyes. “Yes, very funny. But if you fail this its right back to the beginning. Chuck and Anna, you should know that better than anyone”

The two Navi’s put on a good show of trying to remain serious. Anna nodded. “We know Hank..uh, General, Sir”

Her Pilot shot a quick look to the ceiling, Hank guessed he was sending a short prayer to whatever deity was listening in at the time, fought the urge to do the same. “Are you ready, all of you?” There was a moments pause then they all nodded, a few murmured ‘yes sir’s’ from the military personnel. “Right, great. Thanks for the inspired confidence”

Caldwell snorted. “Relax Hank, we’ve had crazier up there. They’re ready”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Still not making it better Steven”

“Why are we launching early…Sir?” Mitchell raised a brow.

“Its always a bit dicey leading up to launch day Colonel, the Vipers have been out of the sky for a while, a lot of pressure on the ground teams” The other man nodded. “We thought we may have had them on the run but lately a lot of reports have been filtering back through from the front lines about a renewed effort, better tech. We need to get in the sky again, surveillance and combat wise”

“Understood Sir”

Hank nodded, looked them over again. “You should probably know the reports aren’t official. If they’re nasty little rumours spread by the Krill worshippers then we brush it off as a nuisance nothing more, but if they’re true…the war could turn again. This time with you on the front line”

He watched Mitchell slide his gaze over to this Navi who nodded gently. He snapped his eyes back to Hank. “We’re ready Sir”

“You’d better be” Hank stood. “Right Viper Squadron One, bugger off out of my briefing room, get yourselves paired up and go shoot at some stuff. Caldwell has your briefing packs, read on the move” He rolled his eyes as he received four salutes, three definite smirks and one wink in reply as they filed out. He sat down as the door slid shut, looked round the empty space. “We are so screwed” Bending his head to his paperwork he figured he may as well stay for the rest of the morning, hopefully no one would think to come looking for him here. A task that should take half hour max would drag out for hours due to the seemingly never-ending interruptions.

Ten minutes later the door slid open. He cursed quietly to himself and looked up. He raised a brow. “Miss Emmagan, can I help you?”

The Athosian dipped her head slightly. “I am sorry to disturb you General. I was hoping to speak with you for a moment?”

He resisted the urge to sigh and gestured to a chair, smiling instead. “Of course, please”

Another small bow. “Thank you” She moved gracefully to the offered seat and sank down, fingers lacing together, hands resting on the table.

“Something is bothering you Teyla?”

“I have heard that Squadron One are pairing up today, will be flying earlier than expected?”

“Word travels fast”

“If you listen properly”

“And you always do” He smiled at her. “You are worried?”

“I was hoping to have one last meditation session with Anna before the process began”

He frowned. “You don’t think she is ready?”

“I believe my dear friend is ready, for more than she will probably face in the next few days. But there are things, they may affect her results”

“Marshall?”

The woman smiled, a rare and beautiful sight. “No, where Marshall is concerned Anna is finally at rest. Perhaps some lingering anger towards him but nothing that would be considered extreme enough to cause real concern”

“Huh” He sipped his coffee thoughtfully. “I never thought of her as angry, at least not towards Marshall himself”

“He ignored her warnings, Anna viewed this as a betrayal of the trust they shared, he broke his promise to always listen, always believe in her abilities” She tilted her head. “She was very angry, which in turn brought guilt over these feelings of resentment towards a dead man, a man she loved”

“A very complex young woman”

“I have found her to always be very straightforward. Her thoughts are logical, follow a line that does not twist and tangle”

“Perhaps for another Empath. Perhaps both you and Anna see people in a simpler light. I have always found the human race to be very confused, about itself and others”

“Maybe”

Hank eyed her, decided to steer away from a discussion that had the potential to go on til dinner and one that he would probably lose eventually anyway. “And these other things?”

“Nothing that could be pinpointed to a specific event but her ability is changing again, growing”

“Is that so?”

“You felt the aura of the city change last night?”

He absolutely refused to blush like a school boy. Hank had eventually taken three sleeping pills and ordered Atlantis to only let him leave his own quarters if aliens invaded. “Yes” He kept his face straight. “I thought it may have been you”

The corners of her mouth twitched. He’d only ever seen Teyla laugh twice, and both times Anna Rayne had been involved. “I am not to blame, this time. But the projection, it is a sign of change within Anna. She was relaxed enough to drop some of her guarding, allow her surface feelings to flow outwards. And those were powerful enough to affect others”

“You don’t think the techs will like it?”

“I think they may try to push further, seek out a reason”

“Which has nothing to do with Anna’s ability to fly”

“This is true” Her face clouded over for a minute before the usual serene expression was firmly back in place. “But you know Hank, as well as I, that the techs have always found Anna fascinating. They have taken advantage of every opportunity to..experiment”

Hank grimaced at the word but couldn’t deny the Athosian’s point. Once they found a subject that piqued their interest they became like bloodhounds. 

“It was only General O’Neill’s interference that stopped them from keeping her here after Marshall’s death. Putting her through more tests”

“They are not permitted to do anything outside of the pairing today”

“I know this, but I worry. They will look for any excuse” She looked thoughtful. “However Colonel Mitchell appears to be very protective already, and displays the same mistrust for the techs”

“Really? Huh”

“Yes. He is aware that they have the potential to do more damage than good. And if this happens I believe that um, heads will roll?”

“Correct” Hank smiled again. “And yes, I agree with you on that point”

“He has much influence?”

“Not in the way that say Jack or I do. And officially that squad is Caldwell’s and he has more friends in high places than Mitchell, but the Colonel inspires loyalty, is prepared to go to the line for his friends and for his men. A lot of people have followed him for that very reason, Sheppard and Lorne especially. And there you have another two very good men” He leant forward slightly over the table. “I’ll let you in on a little secret Miss Emmagan, the techs did not like the results for Squadron One, they tried all kinds of tricks and manipulations but it just kept popping out the same configuration. Those people are all tied together, a hundred threads that wrap round them stretching from several corners of the world and all the way out to Pegasus. Some perhaps more obvious than others, the past collaborations, shared friends” She raised a brow but stayed silent. “Even Lieutenant Cadman has a connection that remains hidden for now. They are meant to fly together, and I think they are meant to heal each other, keep each other safe” 

“Are they meant to win this war Hank?”

“I don’t know Teyla, but I do know they’ll give it a damn good go. And I trust them, for all the headaches they cause me”

“And Anna?”

“They will protect her, as fiercely as she will them”

 

“Hey”

Anna whipped round, holding her top up over her breasts. She wasn’t exactly a prude but Cameron would be pissed if he found out some guy had caught a glimpse of her in the changing room. Her shoulders relaxed and she glared at the man standing by the lockers grinning. “Damn it Chuck. What are you doing in here?” She threw the top into her locker, reached for the very unflattering all-in-one they wore for the pairing process. “Gay or not both our Pilots would be very unimpressed”

He waved a hand. “Evan’s pretty confident about tits not doing it for me”

She rolled her eyes. “Would you like to tell Cameron that?”

“No, I will hide behind you while you tell him”

Anna grinned at him. “Coward”

“Yep”

“So if you’re so scared why the Peeping Tom impression?” She looked up as Laura rounded the corner, fresh from the shower and completely naked. The marine nodded at Chuck. “Harrington”

“Cadman. Nice tits”

“Thank you” She opened her own locker. “Is there a reason you’re in here? Cause I’m assuming it’s not to see women showering together”

He wrinkled his nose. “No, naked women are gross” 

“Weirdo” Anna raised a brow as she pulled her feet through the legs of the suit. “So?”

The other Navi sat on the bench, rested his elbows on his knees. “Are you going to be ok today?”

She straightened, naked from the waist up as the top of her suit hung round her hips. “What?”

Her old friend sighed. “Look, I know, since you came back things, well they’ve been different. We’re not as close. I don’t really know whats going on with you at the moment. And last night…you uh, well, helped things along a bit. For a lot of people”

“I’m confused” Anna frowned.

Laura padded round to stand next to her. “Me too, but then that’s normal hanging with you weirdos”

He glared at them both. “For fuck’s sake” He sighed. “You projected last night dumbass” Anna felt her mouth drop open. “Like big time. I mean, do you know how many years it’s been since I had to special ops my way to a boyfriends room because of a raging hard-on”

She covered her grin with a hand.

“It’s not fucking funny Rayne”

“It’s kinda funny” Laura rested a foot on the bench to tie a bootlace. “Personally, if that really was you I would like to give you a great big sloppy thank you kiss”

Anna removed her hand. “Euw, no girl kissing” She turned to Chuck, hands clasping together. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry”

“No you’re not” He waved a hand. “But I don’t really care about that at the moment. You can buy me some fucking chocolates or something..”

“Or edible lube” Laura grinned up at him from tying her other boot. 

He flipped her off. “This is serious Rayne, you haven’t projected like that since the mountain”

Anna sighed and began pulling the rest of her suit on. “True. But it wasn’t bad stuff right?”

“That depends on who you happened to be sitting with at the time” He shot her a look. “I can’t hide my knowledge of what you did from the techs. I’m sorry but for me it just isn’t possible”

“You don’t have to” She stepped forward to crouch in front of him, took both his hands in hers. “I know we haven’t been the same. And I know why and I’m pretty much completely to blame, as usual” He snorted quietly. “But I’m good, better than I’ve been for a long time. If they know about the projection so be it, theres nothing there they can use against me. It was just an Empath having great sex with someone she cared about, dropped her guard for a minute. Some embarrassing consequences, I’ll give you that, but nothing more”

“Are you sure?” He was staring down at her with a slightly panicked look.

“I’m sure. The bastards aren’t poking about in my head like some crazy arse women at a Macy’s sale” She smiled up at him. “Want me to relax you a bit hon?”

“You relaxed me plenty last night” He eyed her. “You can do that now?”

Anna nodded. “Umhmm. I was working on it before remember?”

“Yeah. I just thought, maybe you’d stopped”

“For a while but it’s been good to get back to the city, train with Teyla. I think she’s secretly proud of me”

“She wants to beat you with her sticks until you stop doing dumb stuff”

“She wants to do that to everyone” Anna squeezed his hands. “So?”

He closed his eyes. “Just, maybe a little of your feelings. I want to know you’re not worried”

“Honey, worried or not you do not want my feelings raging through your veins” Laura snorted from her place beside them. “Anyway I only learnt how to do the relaxing thing, otherwise you get into scary manipulating people territory” Anna grinned at Laura before turning back to the other Navi, he still had his eyes closed. “You want valium relaxed or two fingers of whisky relaxed?”

“Oh God” He licked his lips. “Whisky please”

Anna pressed a kiss to his knuckles, focused on the good feelings still lingering from last night. What she’d done to Steven all those months ago had scared the shit out of her when she’d properly looked at the memory, realised what she’d done. But Anna had always loved practicing this skill, there was no invasion of minds or private emotions, just the sending of a little happy vibe through another persons body. You just had to watch the dosage. “Bottoms up baby”

 

Two hours later.

Cameron stood on the beach looking out to sea, the wind was tossing the waves and the sky was grey but he felt warm, his clothes and hair undisturbed. “You made it” He turned to see his Navi stood a couple of feet away, gone was the jumpsuit, in its place was a red silk dress, thin straps, the material brushed her knees and her feet were bare. 

He smiled. “I was expecting more horror movie than chick flick”

Anna rolled her eyes. “I’m not as twisted as you think”

“I don’t think that” He looked around. “This is what the techs see?”

She shook her head. “No, they get what they are expecting to see. A little trauma but a more stable me”

“Very clever Princess” He eyed her. “How powerful are you now?”

“Pretty powerful but Teyla could still kick my arse here”

“In your own head?”

“Yes, she’s very strong outside of the sparring room too”

He nodded. “So what is this place?”

Anna pointed towards the only house to be seen. “That’s where I grew up, this is the beach I played on, learnt to swim in the sea”

Cam looked up at the house. It was big, probably cost a pretty penny but it was modern, stark, not what he would have envisioned as Anna’s home. “Did you like it here?”

“I loved being by the water, the beach in the summer. But the house was too clean, too cold. And in the winter the weather was pretty brutal”

“Can I see?”

She frowned. “Inside?”

“Yes” He watched her. He had a good idea of the relationship she’d had with her Father, the childhood she had battled through but a lot still remained a mystery and he knew it was a big ask. “No pressure baby girl”

Anna chewed her lip for a minute then nodded. “Ok. But you can’t see him”

“Don’t want to Anna, this is about you” He stepped beside her, slid his hand over hers. “Nice dress”

“Its imaginary Cameron” They walked up the beach. “So don’t get any ideas”

“You mean you haven’t got one of these stashed somewhere?”

“No”

“Damn” They neared the veranda steps. “Maybe I could get you one for Christmas?”

“No”

He grinned as they took the three sleek shallow stairs before his mouth dropped open as the doors that stretched the length of the house slid open and they stepped inside. “Bloody hell Princess, you actually are a Princess”

Anna scowled at him. “Am not”

He took in the rugs that probably cost more than his first car, large ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling that stood out against the minimalist rooms, sleek kitchen that probably took a PhD in engineering to operate. “It’s a lot of money”

“It’s a lot of nothing” She shrugged, padded through to the open living area as the doors slid silently shut.

Cam watched her. There was nothing she seemed to be drawn to here, no favourite photo, no favourite spot on the couch, nowhere she really seemed settled. He looked around him again, there was also a serious lack of kids paintings or scrawled pictures, not a toy in sight. 

“Open the cupboards” 

He raised a brow at his Navi, she gestured behind him to the kitchen area. “Ok” He shot her a curious look before walking around the island, reaching up to swing open a door. He stood and stared at the contents. “Huh” He opened another then another. Cam stepped back and whistled. “This is real Sleeping With the Enemy shit baby”

“Tell me about it”

He eyed the perfectly aligned cans, each facing front and, he was pretty sure, arranged in alphabetical order. 

“Feel free to explore” Anna was laid out on the couch now, flipping through a book.

“You don’t want to give me the tour?”

She shook her head. “I hate this house” Anna rolled to her stomach, swung her feet up in the air and swayed them back and forth. “When I grow up I’m going to buy a farmhouse or a ranch and have loads of colour, and pets, and let my kids draw on the walls”

He snorted. “You might think differently when you’ve just painted those walls”

“Then they can paint them”

Cam eyed the darkened passageway which probably led to the bedrooms and bathrooms, also would probably reveal a few more interesting things about his Navi but maybe that should be up to her, and he wanted to hear the words, not pry. “I don’t think I like it here either” He turned back to the cupboard. “I thought it was physical abuse but I was wrong wasn’t I?” He was met by silence. He stretched out a hand, spun a can so it faced the wrong way. 

“Don’t do that”

“He’s not here Anna, this is your place” He spun another. “Why do you keep it like this?”

“Because I want to”

Cam turned, can in his hand. He threw it up, caught it before it hit the granite top of the island. “Why?”

His Navi stood, moved back towards the bookcase and slid the novel carefully back into it’s rightful place. “Because..” She turned around to meet his gaze. “..now it’s my choice”

He frowned. “So you keep it looking like this because you want to, not because you have to?”

“Exactly”

“That is called cutting your own nose off to spite your face”

“It is called taking back control Cameron” She smiled. “I don’t like this house but I’m not afraid of it anymore. It’s important for it to still look the way it did, if I changed it then I wouldn’t have won”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “Very clever Princess. Scarily twisted, but very smart”

“Thank you” 

“And now you’ve won?”

“The next fight”

“The Krill?”

“Umhmm” She padded towards him. “Anything else?”

“Hey, you brought me here Anna”

“True”

Cam ran a strand of hair through his fingers as soon as she was close enough. “Did he ever show you any love?”

She stared up at him. “No”

“I’m sorry my Princess”

“He never beat me, starved me, all those terrible things that people imagine when they think you’ve been abused. There are others who have suffered more than me”

“Neglect can suck too” He brushed his thumb over her mouth. “Do irrevocable damage”

“Do you think I’m damaged?”

“Constantly”

Anna stuck her tongue out. 

“But handily I have this thing..”

“Yeah yeah, we all know about your weird little kinks” Cam grinned at her. Anna sighed and picked up the can, moving over to the cupboard and going up on her tiptoes to correct his small act of vandalism. Her hair brushed the small of her back, he watched it sway gently with her movements. “Once he didn’t speak to me for a whole year. We lived in the same house, even ate meals together…but it was like I didn’t exist” He felt his heart break a little for her, swallowed round the tight feeling. “For a while I actually believed that I had somehow got myself turned invisible, and it was kinda disappointing when I realised I hadn’t” She turned back to him and smiled. “I had plans for that superpower”

He tried to smile back at her. “I’m sure you did Princess. How old were you?”

Anna quietly closed the cupboard doors. “Eight”

 

Rodney slowly moved his half-lidded gaze around the recovery room. It wasn’t like any military infirmary he’d ever see, there was soft lighting, large comfortable couches, a soothing silence. The rest of the squad were asleep as far as he could tell and he knew he wasn’t far off passing out too. They were curled in their pairs, but Anna’s hand was outstretched and resting gently on Chuck’s, Laura’s feet were linked with his own. There was no going back now, they were a team, a family, tied to their respective partners and to each other. He’d heard the techs muttering excitedly in the background as they had been gently led here which he guessed meant they’d passed, the bonds strong and holding firm.

It hadn’t been like he’d imagined, being in his Pilot’s head. Rodney had asked Anna what to expect but she’d been her usual vague self, apparently it was a personal thing, different for everyone. He wondered what Cameron had seen in her head, what John had seen in his. For Rodney he’d felt the exhilaration of flying, stared down at his thumb hovering over the launch button on his control stick, sat in the desert whilst a man had died in his arms, stood opposite a distinguished older man whilst he proceeded to rip apart his dreams. Was greeted by the same man, if a little older, at the door of a large house, being drawn in for a hug that hardly touched the brief feeling of utter despair. Then he’d been back in the sky, wandering a military base, the faces of Mitchell and Lorne flashing past his eyes, others who were strangers to him but obviously were special to his Pilot. Then John himself, watching Rodney with that look in his eye that always made him shiver, walking towards him and…then he’d woken up. With a sick making wrench and a slightly embarrassing yell.

His Pilot hadn’t said anything, just tucked his hand into Rodney’s as they’d walked to this room, thrown himself down on the couch and yawned, tugging the Navi down to join him. He was never sure how much touching was appropriate in front of others even though the military was a pretty open-minded place these days but his Pilot had seemed to have no problem in pressing tight against Rodney’s back and wrapping his arms round him as the rest of the squad fell into similar positions. He buried back a little more trying to steal some more warmth, the only thing missing from this room was blankets. John murmured behind him, pulled him in tighter. “K’baby?”

Rodney quirked a smile. He loved that voice, his Pilot’s sleepy, lazy, husky..he rolled his eyes to himself. This was getting ridiculous. He made a noncommittal sound to avoid any further questioning, John always seemed to wake fully if Rodney didn’t answer quick enough, and let his eyes slide shut. 

 

Hank went to leave his office, groaned as he spotted the tech running up the steps. Deciding he couldn’t reach the transporter without being spotted he resignedly retook his seat and waited. His door was pushed open and the man stuck his head in, panting quietly. He gestured for him to come in whilst also managing to convey the man was in no way to take a seat, make himself comfortable. “I’m sorry Sir” He pulled in a breath. “I wanted to catch you before..”

He waved a hand. “Not a problem. So?”

“It’s done, and very successfully I may aid. The pairings are some of the best we’ve seen and they also seem to be bonding well as a team”

Hank nodded. “Ok, thank you” He went to stand.

“Um..” 

He sat back down with a sigh. “Yes?”

“Um, Miss Rayne..”

Another sigh. “Yes?”

“Well, she seems to be very much back on track..”

“Reach the point”

“Um yes Sir. Sorry” The tech stopped leaning his hands on his knees and straightened. “We think she’s a lot stronger than before”

“It has been a year, three since she was last paired, Empaths grow”

“I know but…”

He tried out his best ‘I am the General and CO of this base’ voice. “Can Miss Rayne fly?”

“Well, yes…”

“Is she in any way insane?”

“Uh, no but..”

“Is she a Krill spy sent to kill us all in our beds?”

“Of course not Sir, but..”

“That is all I need to know” He stood and pointed at his unwanted guest. “I want Miss Rayne back in the sky, I want her happy and healthy because not only is she an actual human being but that is also how she flies best. The only thing you need concern yourself with is how good a Navi she is going to make. Is she going to make a good Navigator?”

The tech gaped at him. “Uh, yes”

“Excellent” He sat back down. “You stay away from Miss Rayne, your job is done when it comes to Squadron One. If I discover you have been messing around with her you had better hope that I discover it before her Pilot does”

The man frowned, trying to sort out the words. “Um..”

“Colonel Mitchell will have no issue with killing you” Hank waited for the words to sink in. “Whereas O’Neill and I will merely fire your interfering arse and send you to Leavenworth for the rest of your miserable life”

“I must protest Sir..”

“No you must fuck off and let me get to bed”

“I..”

“Ah” Hank held up a finger. “Go away”

The techs shoulders slumped. “Yes Sir, um, thank you”

He watched him slip out of the door and make a slightly less enthusiastic descent down the stairs than his arrival had been. Hank scrubbed his hands over his face, trying to force his fried brain into a few more minutes of coherent thought. Sighing quietly he tugged his laptop back towards him and clicked it open. One more email then he was going to bed, and the next person who delayed that was going to be shot.

 

The next day.

Cameron eyed his Navi as she slid into her chair, reaching for her straps. The anxiousness of the pairing process had left him but they still hadn’t had chance to properly talk and he’d gotten the feeling that Anna had some stuff she felt it was important to tell him. He was also curious as to what she had seen when they’d been joined, there was not so much worry but a need to know what she felt about his past, how he’d behaved in certain situations. But that would have to wait, he was actually pretty excited for the first flight, he’d never flown anything that he could connect to with his mind before and certainly not with a co-pilot who could communicate straight into his brain. Although with Anna that could be a slightly terrifying prospect.

He leant forward before fastening his own straps, ran a hand over her cheek. His Navi looked up questioningly. “You ok baby girl?”

Anna nodded. “Yes, why, you scared?”

“A little. Dying in a ball of flames will put a serious dampener on my plans tonight”

She rolled her eyes. “You have plans?”

“Yes, sex”

“Your other Navi coming over?”

“Hilarious Princess” He sat back, reached for the first strap. “And you’re not just a Navi”

“Uh huh, I am also a kick arse Empath, and Bantos person”

“Bantos person?” He raised a brow as he clicked his harness shut.

“I don’t know the official term” She scowled at him.

“That is not pretty, and I’m stuck looking at you for the next eight hours. Try smiling, maybe licking your lips”

“Such a dick”

He grinned at her before turning serious. “I know this is just a milk run today Princess, plenty of practice, nothing more but I want you to know I trust you, I will always listen to you. Ok?” 

Anna nodded. “Ok”

“People have promised that before and have broken it” He settled back in his chair. “I won’t”

“I know”

“The Krill are gonna fall in the face of our awesomeness”

She huffed a quiet laugh. “I repeat, such a dick”

“But I’m a right dick” He grinned as she rolled her eyes. “Ready?”

“Always” She smiled back then closed her eyes, the lights burning brighter behind her as the hum in his head got louder. Cam smiled, as much as it sometimes worried him he loved the way she connected to the Viper, how she looked so peaceful with her mind sank deep in it’s systems. Closing his own eyes he let himself fall, seeking out his Navi letting her experience guide him to the controls. As the go ahead sounded in his ear his lips parted slightly and he let out a small groan of pleasure as they shot forward and started to climb, higher and higher until the blue gave way to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to fit a bit more flying into this chapter but I felt like it was getting a bit long, and tortuous, so it'll feature a bit more in the next one. Hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

The four Vipers hung in space, their sleek bodies almost impossible to see against the vast blackness. Up here was nothing like laying on your back and staring up into the night sky, there was no twinkling of stars just a seeming never-ending dark with the occasional and fleeting blinding light of a sun or the impossibly huge chunks of a long-dead planet, the lingering trajectory of their destruction forcing them on through the galaxy. Steven looked over his data screens, careful to not miss any vital piece of information, the year he’d spent grounded plus his newly formed squad making him cautious. Another screen opened up to his right signalling contact from the other crafts, all displayed the exact same data as his own did.

He sighed and shut down all the screens, focusing on his Navi who instinctually opened her eyes. He raised a brow, Laura nodded. For her first flight she seemed calm, relaxed and whatever genetic makeup that differentiated Navi’s from the rest of the human race was helping her fly through the Viper’s systems and their practice run with ease. He gave her a small smile in return and initiated radio contact. 

“What you are seeing is the Krill equivalent of a vapour trail Squadron One. On a normal run we would track it but for this flight the protocol would be to record it’s position and return home”

Colonel Sheppard’s voice sounded in the cockpit. “We are only five hours in SIr. Surely we should be worried about the proximity to the city?”

“I agree Sir, we should consider following it. There are no other squads to take over, even if they were paired today they’d be in no state to fly until tomorrow, and would be in the same position as we are now”

“Half of us have never flown a Viper until today Mitchell. Nor faced a Krill ship. It is a risk”

“It is your decision Sir, I feel comfortable going on”

“Viper Three, Four?”

“Four is ready Sir” Major Lorne sounded as sure as the rest of his fellow Pilots, he and Mitchell with their experienced Navi’s had sailed through their manoeuvres, spending the last hour pretty much showboating. 

“Three is ready Sir. I know to hang back if necessary”

Steven tapped the pads on his chair. Viper Three was the only craft in his squad being flown by two people completely new to the programme and the ships. However Sheppard’s outrageous claim he could fly anything appeared to actually be true at least when it came to the Vipers and Rodney McKay was living up to the expectations of the techs, there’d been a couple of false starts and a few unnecessary rolls but their flight path had become surprisingly smooth in a short amount of time. They were also five hours away from Atlantis, three from what would be very sketchy radio contact. “Very well Squadron One, but we proceed with caution, keep your shields and your cloaks up. This is strictly obs, to determine if there is a viable threat to base”

“Yes Sir”

“Moving into radio silence, Navi comms only” There was the faint crackle of connections being cut then a deafening silence. From now on the Navigators would control their communication through the Vipers, the bonds between Pilots, Navis and Vipers forming never-ending circles within circles. He once again brought up his main screen, the bright green trail cutting a line across it’s middle that Steven’s human eyes couldn’t see. He closed his eyes and dipped back into the system, stroked his mind over Laura’s. “We’re going in easy honey”

“Yes Steven” Complying with his softly worded order the Viper began to glide away from their previous position, the shielding and cloak rippling over it’s sleek surface submerging it into the blackness of space.

 

Sam stood at the point she had started her sweep from looking up at the smoking castle. The fires had nearly burnt themselves out now leaving behind the ashes of what were once ornate tapestry’s, years of research and many of the residents of MX4-972. She sighed quietly, the plan to return here and put a stop to the human experimentation was no longer viable, something had gotten here before them. Something that was prepared to use more deadly force than the Lanteans and it had decimated this civilisation along with any hope of discovering more about the Iratus bigs and the race called the Wraith. Her and Radek’s search of Atlantis’s database had turned up nothing.

“M’am?” She turned to see her second stood a couple of feet away. Ford shifted his P90. “AR-5 have discovered two bodies that escaped the fire. I think we should have Beckett take a look at them. The wounds inflicted are like nothing I have seen in battle here or on Earth”

Sam raised a brow. “How exactly?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m no expert but I’d say they were literally torn apart, there are marks that almost look like…well teeth, claws. Maybe what you would expect to find on a lion’s kill, or at least a large mammal”

She frowned. “We have heard of no creatures like that in Pegasus”

Ford shrugged. “As I said I’m no expert but I think they’re worth a closer look. It could be linked to the bugs, or to the Wraith. Maybe they aren’t extinct? Maybe they’ve been laying low, rebuilding their numbers”

“For hundreds of years?”

He rolled his eyes. “Just an idea..M’am”

Sam pursed her lips, looked back up at the remains of the large stone building. “If the attackers had superior tech there wouldn’t be anything left to find, the Krill wouldn’t have left anything behind out of principal” There was a quiet snort by her side, he had moved to stand with her. “And they said they were hidden from our enemy”

“That is what they told Miss Rayne, and she was being given a sales pitch almost. This Bayde could have been lying”

“True” She frowned again then nodded. “Give the order for the bodies to be transported back in Jumper Two, full autopsies are to be performed on both. I want engineers out here to determine if the structure is stable, we need to be able to get into the basements if possible. Make sure the bugs were eradicated in the attack also. They are too dangerous to be given a chance of populating this planet”

“Agreed. You want me to head back to the gate?”

“No, I want your team to join mine, we do a wider sweep, some of the people here may have run, managed to escape. They could be hiding out somewhere. Despite our original intentions the circumstances have changed. We need to offer medical attention and temporary sanctuary to any who need it. These people are no longer a threat. And make sure the men stay alert, invaders rarely return but it has been known”

“Of course M’am” He offered her a salute and went to move away.

“Oh, and Ford..”

He turned back and raised a brow. “Yes M’am?”

“Please stop calling me M’am”

“Yes Sir”

Sam rolled her eyes at his retreating back before gesturing to her team. They picked their away across the debris before coming to a stop in front of her. “How difficult will it be to track in this mess?”

Teyla tilted her head. “It is not ideal but no more complicated than a dense forest or across water”

She nodded at the Athosian. “Ok, good. Then if you don’t mind I want to split you and Ronan between us and AR-2, the search for survivors needs to really be done before dark and I also don’t want to lose any of our people”

“Of course” Teyla smiled slightly. “If you wish I can lower my blocks?”

Ronan shook his head. “There is too much death here”

“It will be manageable”

“It will hurt you”

“It will enable us to find anyone alive with greater speed Ronan”

“No”

Sam cleared her throat, exchanging a look with Radek. “I shan’t order you to do anything that will cause you distress Teyla. You have five minutes to fight this out with your husband” She waved a hand towards where Ford was gathering his own team. “I shall be with AR-2”

There was another bow of the head. “Of course”

Sam avoided Ronan’s glower, turning on her heels and making her way to AR-2, Radek falling into step beside her. “Your report Doc?”

“I am afraid I am not at my most useful on a battlefield Sam. There was no tech here bar the stunners, I have requisitioned one to study and asked for any more found to be taken to the city. They may be an asset to our weapons store” He examined his tablet. “Whatever equipment they were using in the experiments has either been destroyed or is somewhere in the more unsafe parts of the castle”

“I’m going to get it cleared for exploration Radek, however that could mean tomorrow or in two weeks time when we finally manage to clear all the rubble”

“I understand Sam, thank you” 

“Any energy traces?”

“Not here” The scientist scrolled through his tablet again. “The only thing I could pick up was that the gate had been dialled less than forty-eight hours ago”

“Dialled from this side?”

He nodded. “Yes, of that I am sure”

“The address?”

“I am afraid not” He sighed. “It is an unpredictable process reading the gates, I am sorry. If I had more time..”

“I know” Sam smiled at him. “And I’m sorry I can’t give you that time, or the resources”

Radek smiled back. “It is ok, this war..” He waved a hand back towards the building. “…it was not started by you, or by the first of our people to come here. However, it must be won and I am more valuable working by your side yes?”

“I wouldn’t have you anywhere else Doc” She nodded at Ford. “Maybe one day we can both get back in the lab”

“Would that not leave Major Ford in charge of the military?”

Her 2IC frowned. “I feel like maybe I’m being insulted” His team grinned behind him.

“I am sure you would make a very interesting Commander Aiden” Radek shit him an award winning smile. 

Ford flipped him off before turning to Sam. “We ready M’am?”

Sam narrowed her gaze but refused to repeat her earlier request. “Just waiting on Ro and Teyla, they are…negotiating”

Ford grinned at her. “Twenty says Teyla wins”

“No way”

“Oh come on”

“Ford, that is inappropriate, and anyway..” Sam lifted her P90. “..I never bet against Teyla, I’m not suicidal”

 

They moved slowly through the wreckage, there was so much debris here Cameron didn’t want to risk missing anything that could put a hole in their side or get caught in their engines. He frowned as screens opened and closed in front of him at a ridiculous pace, information being scrolled through and sorted so quickly he couldn’t keep up. “Anna”

His Navi blinked at him through the green and blue haze of the projections that were suddenly still as she became distracted. “Yes Cameron?”

“You need to slow down Princess, we’re not all able to process data with Navigator speed”

She chewed her lip. “Sorry Cameron. I, um I am not very good at waiting”

“Of that I am quite aware” He looked over the still frozen data. “Anything here?”

Anna frowned, still worrying at her lip as more screens popped open. He fought the urge to sigh in exasperation. “It is difficult to tell, and it’s been so long but..” Her furrowed brow deepened, head tilted to one side. “I think that maybe this was two ships, or..”

He shifted in his chair, a strange feeling of anxiousness rolling over his body. “Anna?”

“It could have been a Hybrid” Her eyes were flickering over the information, previously darkened sections of the Viper lighting up around her. His Navi was accessing yet more systems, delving deeper. 

The Viper juddered under him. Cameron tried to stay calm, project it through to the woman sat opposite him. “Are you sure baby girl?” He jumped slightly as the screens snapped shut. “Jesus Anna”

“Sorry” She smiled tightly at him. “I am sure enough to want Rodney have a closer look at the data. Not out here, where he can tap into Atlantis”

He scrubbed a hand over his chin. “Crap” Using his own control he brought up the scans of what was left of the ship, eyes running over it carefully. There did indeed seem to be some debris that the Viper couldn’t identify with any certainty but it was, almost cautiously, showing him the schematics of the Hybrid. “Inform Viper One, let’s see if Caldwell agrees ok?”

Anna nodded. “Yes Cameron” He watched as the data was moved to the corner of the screen and a comm channel was opened through to Lieutenant Cadman.

A second later his radio came to life. “Mitchell?”

“Sir”

“She sure about this?”

“Yes SHE is sure” Anna glowered at no one in particular.

Cam shot her a look. “We’re using radio voices Miss Rayne”

“No such thing” She muttered.

There was a quiet huff of laughter that echoed round the craft. “Are you sure Anna?”

“As I can be Steven, and the Viper agrees with me”

There was a pause. “And so does mine. I was hoping the system was clutching at straws out of embarrassment of not being able to identify it”

Cam smiled despite himself. It was so easy to fall into treating these ships like people, the connection to them was so personal, so deep…he could imagine serious withdrawal pains when the inevitable day came of having to walk away. “What do you want to do Sir?”

Caldwell sighed. “Reinitiating radio contact with Three and Four”

“Were you talking about us behind our backs?”

“Shep, you’re an idiot”

“Thank you. So?”

“What are your scans reading Three and Four?” 

There was another moments of silence. 

“Viper Three wants it to be a Hybrid Sir, but she isn’t sure”

“Same here SIr. But Chuck says he’s inclined to agree, told you to take a closer look at the actual wreckage rather than just the readouts”

Cameron’s screen switched to the small camera placed at the nose of Viper One, supposedly being shown the same images that Caldwell and the rest of their squad were seeing. He ran his eyes over it as it slowly panned through the debris. Having seen only the schematics of the Hybrid he wasn’t sure what he was looking for but he was pretty familiar with the Krill warships. A long sleek piece of metal floated across his screen and he gently shifted the Viper round to follow it.

“It’s one of their firing mechanisms”

He nodded at his Navi.

“It’s big”

Cam raised a brow. “Take the measurements Anna” The Hybrid popped up on another screen, data scrolling beside it. As it stopped the image spun, a fuzzy picture of the piece of metal was laid over the top of the blueprint. “Shit” He reopened the comms. “We’ve got a match Sir”

“Send it over Mitchell”

“Yes Sir”

There was another lull in their radio contact. “So I see. What I’m looking at closely resembles the last time I saw a Hybrid blown to pieces. Run full scans, record everything. We head back in five, whatever did this could still pick us up on long range scanners, and it must have been far superior to the Krill”

“Yes Sir”

Cameron shut down the radio call, gave the silent order to begin the scans. As data scrolled in front of him quicker than even that of Anna’s perusing's he looked at her through the haze of blue. “Anna?”

She raised her eyes from the small personal screen her fingers were flying over. “Yes Cameron?”

“Are you ok?”

His Navi frowned. “Yes, why?”

“With the Hybrid..”

“It is ok Cameron, I’m in my favourite place, with my third favourite person. I feel fine, safe”

He raised a brow. “I’m only third?”

“Umhmm” She went back to her work.

“Who’s first and second?”

“Not telling” 

“You will”

“Uh uh”

He rolled his eyes before looking her over thoughtfully for a minute. “Can you do something for me Princess?”

Anna met his gaze again but this time shutting down her panel. “Of course”

Cam refused to feel suspicious of her apparent calm, and unusual compliancy. “Can you read the wreckage?” Her face smoothed out, blank, expressionless. He fought the desire to shiver. 

“Empathically?”

“Only if you are really ok Anna, I don’t want to cause you any distress” He tried to keep his own face open, honest. He needed her to believe he wouldn’t ask her to do this if she really wasn’t ready, destroying the contentment she seemed to have with her life at the moment would break his heart.

There was a heart-stopping minute of silence then she nodded, offering him a smile that eased the tightness in his stomach. “Ok. I will need some time”

“Caldwell wants us out in two Princess” His eyes flickered over the readouts. Still no sign of a flight-worthy ship, just the blown apart Hybrid drifting eerily through space.

Anna nodded. “I know. I’ll be as quick as I can but I will set the Auto-Nav too. With that you are more than capable of starting the journey home without me”

“Is that a compliment Anna?”

His Navi rolled her eyes. “No”

He grinned at her. “I think it was”

Anna stuck her tongue out, then her eyes slid shut and half of the Viper was suddenly engulfed in darkness as his Navi’s mind left the craft and stretched out into the vastness of space. 

 

Hank stood on the steps watching his people return from the planet that had now been unanimously christened ‘BDSM World’. The two Jumpers he had requisitioned at Caldwell’s suggestion, and Dixon’s disgust, had returned through the gate only a couple of hours ago carrying the bodies of two of the unfortunate late residents. Now he was waiting on the report from his Military Commander and the engineers that had been sent out there to assess the ruins of the castle. He moved down to greet them as the gate shut down. “Welcome home people, brief report please. We’ll go over the details after your med checks”

Carter nodded. “Thank you Sir” She sighed. “The place is a mess, on our wider sweep we discovered twelve more bodies all sporting the same marks as the two who were brought to the city. As far as we can tell there are no survivors. The attackers obviously hunted down all those who tried to run or hide” She unclipped her P90. “Whoever or whatever came through that gate may not have had access to advanced tech but they were superior hunters and trackers, they also seem to have an unending capacity for violence”

“A disturbing thought Colonel”

She nodded again. “The engineers have estimated a week before we can get to the lower levels. I want to find out if any of the bugs survived or were even taken from there. I also need to ascertain if there is any of the equipment or research left in tact. It’s night on the planet now, we’ll head back in the morning with your permission Sir”

Hank raised a brow. “You want to personally oversee this one Carter?”

“Yes Sir” She shrugged off her vest and smiled her thanks at one of the sec team who took it from her. “The Krill are a known threat and are being watched by enough skilled personnel, if we’re needed on the front line then thats where we’ll go but for the moment I need to concentrate on this. I’ve spoken with Ford, for now we have three vaguely reasonable possibilities. One: that the people turned into bugs somehow escaped and went out for full on revenge before fleeing the planet, two: that these Wraith aren’t actually extinct and took offence to the experiments Bayde was performing, three: there is a whole new race out there that we have never heard of that is capable of horrifying acts”

“All very worrying possibilities” Hank nodded. “Very well, I trust your judgement on this Sam. But you stay safe, you take teams with you on every shift”

“Of course Sir, thank you” Her eyes flicked to her team quickly and she lowered her voice. “I want Teyla to be excused from the brief Hank, she tracked using her Empathic side, and there was a lot of death there, slow and painful ones if you know what I mean”

He forced himself not to look over the Athosian. “Of course Colonel. And Ronan too?”

“I’ll leave it up to him” She offered him a small smile. “He is not a happy bunny”

“I hope he never is, its another incredibly disturbing thought Colonel” He shook off images of the Satedan grinning manically with huge rabbit ears sprouting out his head. He really needed to start getting more sleep. “I’ll see you in thirty Carter, and bring just the one engineer, I can’t take them all talking over the top of one another today”

The Colonel snorted quietly. “Yes Sir”

 

One hour later.

“Do you think it is a possibility that the gate dial-out Radek traced could have been survivors fleeing Colonel?”

The woman’s brows rose. “I guess so Sir, I’m ashamed to say I had never considered that option. However, they would have been very lucky to reach the gate undetected”

“Perhaps more assets that Bayde held? The planet was still unexplored by us”

“Very true” Carter furrowed her brow. “They would have had to fight their way through or use some kind of shielding or cloaking device. The only other remote possibility would be transport like our Jumpers and if they had something like that at their disposal I would expect to see superior tech, and signs of gate exploration. None of which my team, or our rescuers, reported”

Hank nodded. “Lets just keep those options open in our minds for now Colonel”

“Of course Sir”

Hank tapped his pen on the table thoughtfully before nodding again. “Very well AR-1, you have clearance to proceed with a wider sweep of the planet and the further exploration of the castle, but you will employ the Jumpers and rota in at least two other teams to accompany you at all times. The same goes for the engineers. No one is to be on that planet without back-up. Am I understood?”

“Of course Sir” Sam smiled. “Thank you. Is there any word on the autopsies?”

“Should be completed within the hour Carter. I am also going to send all of your data to the mountain, see if there’s any connection to these Ancients they’ve been looking in to”

“Have you had word on their progress Sir?” The Colonel was eyeing him curiously.

“They have found evidence of their presence on Earth, and it appears that there could be a whole new world of shit, in O’Neill’s words, that they’re currently deciding if they really want to stir up”

The leader of AR-1’s lips twitched. “I see”

“If anything starts stirring I’ll inform you of course”

She bit her lip and nodded. “Ok, thank you Sir. I also wanted…”

The door was pushed open to the glass office. He looked up. “Hewston, is there a problem?”

The physicist/engineer that manned the gate controls and was a near constant presence at the console cleared her throat nervously. “I am sorry to disturb you Sir but I thought you should know that Squadron One will be arriving back from their practice run in a little under an hour” 

He raised a brow. “And?”

“Um, and they wish to meet with you right away Sir. They bypassed the comms to the techs”

Hank threw his pen on the table. “Shit” 

“Um…” The young woman took a step back.

“Ok Hewston, don’t panic” He smiled and nodded. “Give them the all clear. And notify the techs that I want to see them regarding their off-world mission from two weeks ago, its a matter of urgency. Tell them that they will debrief with them when I’m done speaking to the squad”

“Of course Sir” She slipped back out of the door. 

He turned to Sam. “Why do I get a bad feeling about this?”

“Because you’re incredibly astute so hence our great and powerful leader?”

Hank scowled at her. “Go eat, I want your arse back here in an hour” 

The Colonel stood and saluted. “Yes Sir”

“And cut that crap out”

 

Cameron tried not to panic. Crouched low in the Viper in front of his apparently still unconscious Navi he tried once more, calling on med support would alert the techs to a problem and he didn’t want them carting Anna off for more invasive tests. Especially when she was vulnerable and would be away from his watchful gaze. He shook her shoulder gently. “Princess, we’re home. Time to wake up. People are going to start getting suspicious” A finger twitched on the gel-filled control pad. He let out a calming breath. “Thats it Anna, come back to me” He laced their fingers together, lifting her hand to place a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Come home baby girl”

His Navi licked her lips and he could finally detect movement beneath her eyelids. He swallowed, fighting the urge to shake her more roughly. The rest of the squad were now out of their crafts and he was expecting the dreaded radio call any second now. Her fingers tightened round his and she murmured his name, eyes still closed. “I’m here Anna, bring yourself back. It’s safe” Her eyelids fluttered open and he was treated to a slightly unfocused smile. Cam leant his forehead on her knee, sighing with relief. “Jesus Anna, don’t do that to me”

“M’sorry C’mron”

He looked back up at her. “It’s ok Princess. I asked you to go exploring” Letting go of her hand he reached up to release the Navi’s harness. “You alright for the debrief baby?”

Anna nodded. “Jus’ need a m’ute”

“You sound like you’ve been drinking”

He was shot a half-hearted glare. “Takes a ‘ittle while”

Cameron ordered the hatch open and straightened. “Need some help?”

Anna blinked a couple of times. “Jus’ wait a’ the steps please”

“Sure” He leant down to stroke a hand over her cheek, she felt cold and he could see her hands shaking. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked”

“S’ok. I didn’t have to go so far”

“No you didn’t” He frowned. “How far Navi?”

“Tracked other ship”

He hissed, the tension of spending five hours on the flight back home facing his limp and lifeless Navigator finally breaking through. If it hadn’t been for her stable vitals showing on his control panel Cameron would have landed on the nearest solid surface and checked her for a pulse. “That wasn’t your order. What were you thinking?” Cameron ran a shaking hand through his hair. “Fucking hell Princess”

His Navi experimentally stretched out her limbs whilst remaining sitting. “I had to try” 

“Anna…”

“All ok Mitchell?!” His CO’s voice drifted through the open hatch.

He quietly cursed. “Yes Sir! Just leaving now, problem with Anna’s harness!” His Navi raised a brow, Cameron dared her to say something with his eyes.

“She out?!”

“Yes Sir!” He stayed for long enough to make sure Anna was steady on her feet as she stood from her chair then jogged down the Viper’s steps, coming to a stop and trying to keep a subtle eye as she made her way down. 

Steven moved closer and lowered his voice, the techs were currently gathered around Viper One’s hull, the small panel that allowed them to access it’s system hanging open. “Harness?”

“I didn’t want them poking her about Sir”

“Zone out?”

Cam shook his head, smiled as she joined them and the steps folded up behind her. He maintained the low tone he and Steven had been conversing in. “You just need to make it out the bay Princess then I can help. You ok?”

Anna nodded. “Yes Cameron. Hot coffee and warm sweats, I’ll be peachy”

“Do you need a cuddle?” He grinned down at her.

“Euw, no” She wrinkled her nose, then yawned.

Steven snorted. “No permanent harm I see. Was it worth it?”

Anna nodded again. “Maybe”

“Colonel Caldwell” A tech hurried over. “We’ve had orders from the General, you are to meet with him immediately. Something has happened on the planet you rescued AR-1 from Sir”

“Ok, thanks Doc” Their team leader nodded. “We’ll head up now”

“Um, also Sir..”

Caldwell raised a brow. “Yes?”

“Did you happen to take any hits today?”

“No, why? It was exploratory only”

“We are having problems accessing your systems records Sir”

“Well, I can’t help you there Doc, that’s your department” He slapped him on the back. “Good luck”

 

Hank looked around the large briefing table, the Pilots seemed relaxed if a little tired which was normal for the first few runs. Dr McKay had two tablets and a laptop in front of him, fingers flying over the keys as he concentrated on gathering as much data on their discovery before the techs started asking questions. Anna’s chair was pulled in close to that of Mitchell’s and she was curled into it, head resting on her Pilot’s shoulder, eyes closed. He sighed. “I knew bringing you lot back would cause my paperwork to rack up”

Caldwell snorted quietly. “You’ve missed us Hank, and you know it”

He waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah. How long until the techs get through their supposed malfunction?”

McKay’s head raised from his work. “If it was a Jumper I’d say a lifetime but the Viper’s are still relatively new to me. An hour, maybe a little more”

Hank nodded. “Ok, still good work Rodney, I’m impressed”

“Genius” The other man muttered before returning to his work.

His Pilot rolled his eyes. “Sorry Sir”

“No need Sheppard. It’s called the comedown” He eyed them all again. “So I guess the rumours are true about the better tech. How certain are we the ship is a Hybrid, or was until something kicked it’s arse?”

“Pretty sure Sir” Caldwell drummed his fingers on the table. “The Vipers are hardly ever wrong, and with the agreement of the others who were at the scene of our last encounter I’d say Rodney’s checks are merely to add weight to our story. I want to be able to give accurate answers when the techs start asking questions, don’t want to give them any excuse to start running more tests. They’re going to be funny enough about our past problems”

“Agreed” Hank shot him a look. “I have told them that now the successful pairing process is completed for your squad you fall under my command only. Any testing requests must be authorised by myself and be backed up by very good reasons. They know the risks of interfering once the bonds have been formed”

His old friend grinned at him. “Thank you Hank”

“Well, being a stubborn asshole has got me this far. But they could still turn to Hammond”

“An extreme course of action”

Hank nodded. “But available to them if they so wish. However, they are wary of going directly to him. The Admiral does not tolerate what he calls ‘playground disputes’ fucking with his paperwork, and his time” He scrubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I would say that is something we shouldn’t worry about for now. Even if they pushed for it in the next few weeks it would take time to sort through the red tape”

He turned his gaze on Anna, who was nudged gently by her Pilot. “Navi, time to contribute”

Her brow furrowed then she opened her eyes, lifting her head to blink dazedly at him. Hank went for a small smile. “We are discussing the possibility of further testing once the techs discover the Hybrid. I’d like your opinion Anna?”

She licked her lips before reaching for the mug Mitchell had placed in front of her. “Wouldn’t you have to authorise that General?”

He nodded. “Yes, but they could go over my head”

“Hammond?”

“Yes. It would take some time but if they got the go ahead the tests could be more invasive”

“Are you saying you’re worried about my results, again?”

Her Pilot frowned. “Be polite Navi”

“Hank gets scared when I’m polite” She gave him a weary grin.

Hank snorted quietly. “Very true. And I’m not just talking about you. So?”

“Theres not much in there they haven’t seen before. But to go deeper is a serious invasion of privacy, even for them, and it could really screw up all of our minds, not just mine. For a start the bonds could become damaged or twisted”

“Which is what I was afraid of” He smiled sadly at her. “I will do everything I can to prevent it”

“I know Hank” She took a sip of coffee. “So will I”

He frowned at her then sighed. “I think I’d rather not know” He cleared his throat and looked down briefly at his paperwork. “So, moving swiftly on can we hear the results from your little adventure today?”

Anna nodded. “There was a lot of confusion, fear, panic. I don’t think they understood what was happening, at least until it was too late. I almost felt a little sorry for them actually” She took a sip of coffee. “I believe they were boarded, there were emotional echoes there that you wouldn’t get if a ship is just blown apart. I managed to pick out a couple of individuals, tapped into their last few moments. With both I felt hunted, trapped, there was nowhere to run to and I could hear my crew mates dying” Hank fought the desire to shiver. Being an Empath was not as romantic a notion as people first believed it to be. “Then there was pain, here” She laid a hand over her heart. “I’ve been beaten up, shot and stabbed before, it felt nothing like any of those things”

“And then?”

“Nothing, whatever caused the pain ended their lives” Anna took another sip.

“So why so long out cold?” Mitchell had played down Anna’s little mind trip out into the galaxy but to be unconscious for that amount of time meant she must have taken some strain, pushed herself too far.

“It wasn’t just the Krill that left their imprints on the wreckage, I was attempting to track the attackers using their own echoes. It isn’t always effective but I thought it was important enough to try”

“And?”

“I couldn’t get a fix on their incoming trajectory but they left heading away from the city. In the opposite direction to where we were going which was why I took a little longer to come back. I hadn’t realised how far out I was until their trail died” She placed her mug on the table. “They are very powerful, and believe themselves to be vastly superior. They are also incredibly angry and enjoyed the deaths of the Krill. I would be inclined to say they are empathic themselves, perhaps even telepathic”

“Great, just what the galaxy needs, more mind-reading homicidal maniacs” Chuck grinned at his Pilot who rolled his eyes back.

Hank snorted. “At least they appear to be targeting the Krill for now. And either don’t know of the city’s presence or have no interest in it”

“But another Hybrid got close Hank” Caldwell raised a brow. “The first time my squad takes to the sky, one year later…I don’t like it”

“Neither do I” The General ran a hand through his hair. “Any ideas Carter?”

“They sound very different to whoever or whatever attacked the planet” She frowned. “But the two events must have happened quite close together, and why a Hybrid now? We’ve had squads out there in the past twelve months, some specifically looking for another…”

“Huh” They all turned to look at Rodney who was now shifting his focus between two of the three screens in front of him.

“Whats huh?” His Pilot leant sideways to peer at the laptop.

“I’ve identified five pieces of wreckage that didn’t come from the Hybrid, it seems the Krill at least managed to do some damage to the other ship” The man peered into his, presumably empty, coffee mug and scowled at it before placing it back down. “I think these pieces were what was confusing the Vipers, in some ways they are very similar to the Hybrid but when you look closer they are crafted from far superior materials and are better designed, and the small sections of tech that aren’t unreadable from the scorch marks are pretty impressive” He chewed his lip and frowned at the others. “The Hybrid was nothing like you’d seen before, better than the usual Krill warships?”

The original members of the old squad nodded silently.

“I think the Krill adapted this other race’s tech to build bigger and better ships. I mean, what was it that Bayde guy said? They are scavengers, parasites?” Anna nodded. “They feed off other races power. This is how they built the Hybrid, they essentially stole all the good stuff from someone else”

“What, and now their neighbours want their lawnmower back or else?” Sheppard raised a brow.

“I guess so” His Navi shrugged.

 

Turning his attention away from the conversation for a moment Cameron looked his Navi over, she seemed calm and the shaking had nearly stopped. His eyes slid down, one hand was still curled around her mug of coffee but the other was absentmindedly rubbing the spot on her chest she’d indicated earlier. He leant in. “Ok my Princess?”

Anna’s head turned and she frowned at him. “Umhmm, why?” He gestured to her hand with his eyes. She looked down, the circling stopping as she obviously realised what she was doing. “Oh, um yes. Still hurts a little thats all”

“Should I be worried?”

“Not yet” His Navi smiled at him.

“I’m so reassured, thank you” He poked her in the ribs. “And quit touching yourself in front of other men”

“At least I’m not naked this time” Her breath ghosted over his ear as she leant in.

He felt his inner thigh twitch. “Enough now Anna” Cameron moved back and twirled his finger at her, signalling they should probably turn back to the discussion.

Smirking at him, if a little sleepily, his Navi settled back in her chair, turning her attention to the General who was speaking again. “I think we need to pair up the other squads as soon as possible, get them in the sky with you. If there are more Hybrids out there you do not want to be facing them alone. It will also, quite handily, keep the techs busy for the next couple of days. In the meantime your resident Empath can recover from her trip and Dr McKay will have some breathing space to further study the data without interruption, maybe work on his plans for the Vipers”

Sheppard smiled at his Navi. “You’re so smart”

“I know” McKay smiled back.

Chuck made small gagging noises in his throat and Anna huffed a quiet laugh into her mug. Rodney flipped them off. The General cleared his throat whilst glaring at them. “To keep the rest of you out of trouble you can accompany the teams heading out to the BDS…uh, MX4-972” Cam bit his lip to stop from laughing. “God, I need some sleep” Muttered Landry before raising his gaze back to them. “You’re just as good on the ground and you can also be rota’d in for the Jumper flights. We’ll schedule your next Viper run for five days time unless some kind of shit hits the fan”

“Totally jinxed it” Carter grinned at her CO.

Landry rolled his eyes. “As soon as her Pilot clears it Anna can join you too. She can track with Teyla once the Athosian is up and about”

Carter nodded. “Thank you Sir. I think Teyla will be out for tomorrow, especially if Ronan has anything to say about it. But she won’t rest more than a day”

“Something happened to Teyla?” Anna leant forward and frowned. Cam gently rested a hand on her knee. She huffed quietly. “Just want to know”

“Not what we’re here for Navi”

“It’s ok Mitchell” Carter waved a hand and smiled at them. “Teyla did everything she could to find survivors, it has left her a little wiped. A bit like you Miss Rayne”

“Oh” She chewed her lip then nodded. “Ok”

“And no trying to help Princess” Cameron raised a brow. “You’re too tired” His Navi stuck her tongue out. He sighed. “At least try to be a grown up Anna”

“Boring”

“I totally agree” Cadman grinned at them, Chuck nodding in the background.

Cam caught his team leader and the General exchange a look, Caldwell looking like he was fighting a smirk. He tapped his Navi on her arm. “Enough”

Landry stood. “I think we can agree this particular meeting is now over. We’ll reconvene at nine hundred for your off-world briefing, and confirm which members of Squadron One will be remaining on the city. 

 

Rodney closed his eyes, pulling his Pilot’s arms tighter around him and burying back into his warmth. The comforter was pulled up to his neck and John’s weight was pressed up behind him, the other man’s body heat slowly warming Rodney’s bones. He hadn’t realised until his Pilot had dragged him from his laptop just how tired and cold he was.

“Ok baby?” John nuzzled into his neck, arms squeezing tight.

“Umhmm” He licked his lips, kept his eyes closed. “Anna said it wouldn’t be too bad after a normal run”

“And Anna is comparing it to combat runs, which we have no experience of” His Pilot’s legs wound round his. “I don’t want you running yourself into the ground with flying plus your technical work”

Rodney rolled his eyes behind their closed lids.

“I mean it my Navi” 

“M’fine”

“Yeah, sure” There was a puff of air over his throat as his Pilot sighed. “I don’t want to become some kind of dictator Rodney, but I do want you happy and healthy. And our main duty is flying, pushing on with the war effort. When we start encountering more combat situations it’s going to take all of our energy, need all of your focus, your giant brain”

He snorted quietly before wriggling round in the iron tight grip. Rodney blinked sleepily at his Pilot. The other man looked tired, and stressed. “I’m sorry”

“I know baby”

“I can’t seem to walk away from the tech side”

“I’d noticed” John smiled. “And I know you love it, you just need pulling back sometimes, reminded to eat, and sleep”

The Navi nodded. “I worked on Athos for a long time, repairing Jumpers whilst under attack, spending nights in black outs, pulling forty hour shifts…I’m not new to this”

“You are to the Vipers, to the way this works. And I know you’re not a green cadet Rodney, I’m always blown away by what you can do…just don’t fight me when I step in, which I promise I won’t do unless I’m worried, think it’s necessary”

He eyed the other man then nodded again. “Ok”

“Ok” He was treated to a chaste kiss. “So, how many projects are you currently running on that computer of yours?” A brow raised.

“Um” He squirmed a little. “Three, maybe four”

His Pilot sighed. “Rodney…”

“One is Atlantis watching Anna, thats kinda running itself for now anyway” He shrugged. “And then there’s Jumpers One and Two, they’re nearly back to their full efficiency. Um, the Viper systems which is more complex but the more I fly the easier it should become and then there’s…the Hybrid now too”

“It’s too much”

“No”

“Drop the Jumpers”

“No” He scowled at John.

“You said they’re nearly back on track, and I bet that means they’re running far better than when we took them to BDSM world” His Pilot quirked a smile at him. “The other engineers can take over now”

“No way, bunch of idiots”

“They’re hand-picked by the SGC Rodney. Whilst I’m sure they don’t match up to your never-ending genius they are quite capable of completing your repairs”

“Dictator”

John rolled his eyes. “Hand it over”

“No”

“Yes, tomorrow” A warm, slightly weapon roughened hand slid up and down his side. “Then I’ll stop nagging, for now”

Rodney fought with himself for a minute then decided he was too tired to argue. “Ok, ok”

“Good, thank you baby” He was pulled into a slightly less chaste kiss than the last one, snuggling in as his Pilot lazily explored Rodney’s mouth. He kept his eyes closed as the kiss was broken, licking his own lips. Warm breath ghosted over his ear. “Roll over Dr McKay. I want back in”

“So wrong” Muttered Rodney but wriggled back over, pressing his body up against his Pilot’s. There was a pleasurable hum as John rubbed himself slowly over the back of Rodney’s thighs and his arse, fingers curling round his hip before snaking down to gently caress over the head of his dick. The Navi blew out a small puff of air, enjoying the way he felt both horny and incredibly contented at the same time. In the other man’s arms, wether it be during sex or just lying together, he always felt warm and safe. Not that he’d admit it to his Pilot, ever.

John hummed again and a finger slipped between his cheeks, Rodney moaned quietly as it slid inside easily, he must still be slick and open from his Pilot’s earlier fucking. “Hmm, yeah. No prepping needed” A kiss was pressed to the back of his neck. “That is so hot”

Rodney smiled, safe in the knowledge his Pilot couldn’t see his face, and pushed back gently.

“Yeah, yeah. Demanding little Navi” He could hear the grin in John’s voice so spared him an elbow to the ribs for his ‘little’ comment. Then the finger disappeared and he soon felt the sensation of a blunter, larger object pushing up against his entrance. Rodney tipped his head so John’s tongue could reach more of his throat, jumping slightly as teeth grazed over his skin. He rolled his hips as his stomach started to do that funny flip flop thing he now associated with any kind of touch from his Pilot, and he reached his hand up and back to run fingers through John’s hair. 

There was a groan close to his ear then the teeth were digging in a little harder, at the same time John pushed forward, a long smooth stroke that didn’t stop until he was buried as deep as he could get. Rodney whimpered quietly, could feel himself clenching and releasing around the dick in his arse. His Pilot moaned, a deep drawn out sound that made Rodney momentarily forget his own name, until the hand still lightly holding his dick began to caress gently up and down, gathering the pre-cum that had already settled there. “Shit” He whispered.

“Hmm, just fall into it baby. This is a quickie, I want us both to sleep” 

“Your quickies are like other people’s slowies”

His Pilot huffed a laugh and began to rock his hips. “I am awesome”

“You’re a smug bastard” The last word was embarrassingly squeaky as John gave a hard shunt at the end of another smooth glide in.

“You’re so fucking adorable”

“Fuck off”

 

Anna stood in the dimly lit chair room. The water was gone now but she could still smell it in the air and the tide mark that ran around the dingy walls showed it’s time as nothing more than a wading pool. The techs still didn’t venture down here, she sometimes wondered at their stupidity, this place emanated power like no other room in the city, even where the gate stood. She shivered, pulled her Pilot’s hoody tighter around her. Anna had been expecting a flat-out refusal from Cameron when she’d said she wanted to meet with her old friends, and to do it privately, but after eyeing her for a moment he’d slowly nodded. They’d had a couple of hours together, some gentle, slow sex which Anna figured was to reassure him but had actually helped her to relax as well, then a nice warm nap, curled up tight in his arms. 

She shivered again, that was where she really wanted to be right now but this had to be done tonight, tomorrow the squad would be separated for a few days and the longer she left it the harder it would be to motivate herself to do it, and find the opportunity. She had snuck past the pairing labs earlier and watched the techs running round with stacks of clipboards and yelling at each other in several different languages, Earth based and alien. And Teyla had been right everything needed to be aired out, and Anna needed to let Cameron in more, and she couldn’t do that without speaking to the others first.

She reached out, trailed her fingers over the arm of the chair, just like she’d done all those months ago, watching the faint blue sparks ghost over it’s form. Anna closed her eyes, rolled her head from side to side, fought the temptation to sit down, lie back and lose herself in Atlantis. This chair was not where she belonged, it was for another, and one day soon the city would be rewarded for it’s patience. She snapped her eyes open, took a shaky step away from it. Where had that thought come from? The Navi had always been wary of this place, even though it often called out to her but she had never been so sure as to why before. She took a calming breath, searched though her mind as Teyla had taught her. A darting figure in white caught her attention and she chased it down, daring it to hide where it had no place to be, in her head.

As she tore apart her usual hiding places Anna began to feel the panic rise. Nothing had gotten this deep before, even Teyla knew to stay away from these places, would only ever consider dredging Anna’s mind like this with permission, permission she would triple check first. Then a hand gripped hers and she felt herself be wrenched away, back to the chair room, giving a frustrated cry. As her world spun she leant her hands on her knees and pulled in deep breaths, voices dull behind the rushing of blood sounding loud in her ears. As her control began to pull back in she raised her head and looked into eyes that reflected back his fear. 

“Anna?” Her friend was whispering, hand reaching out but frozen, unsure wether to touch again.

She nodded, tried to give a reassuring smile. “It’s ok Chuck, sorry”

“Jesus, what the hell was that?”

“Me, getting lost in my own head”

“You’re a crazy bitch you know that?”

Anna straightened and stuck her tongue out. “Yes”

He snorted, albeit a little shakily. “Scared the crap out of me”

“And me”

She looked past him to see Steven studying her curiously. “Um, yes, sorry. Atlantis seems to have a worrying interest in my brain” She ran a hand through her hair. “Shouldn’t have touched the damn thing”

“Uh, the city?” Chuck frowned. “Aren’t you always touching the city? Um, in the non-wrong way”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Yes” She waved a hand vaguely behind her. “I meant the chair”

“It lights for you?” Steven stepped forward, hesitatingly brushing his fingertips over it. It remained dark and quiet.

“Not completely, but yes”

“You’ve been keeping secrets Anna”

“So have you Steven, and you” She turned to her friend and raised a brow.

“Um, I have?”

“Yes, and Ronan and Teyla have already had their new ones torn for their part in it” She watched Chuck’s throat work as he swallowed. She smiled sadly. “You really thought I wouldn’t notice?”

“Shit” Steven ran a hand over his face. “How?”

“How?! She bloody rummaged about in my head without permission!” Chuck pointed at her. “You don’t get to use your freaky powers like that Empath!”

“Now Chuck..”

“I didn’t rummage!” Anna glared at him, hands curling into fists. “You touched me! And you lied” She hissed quietly.

“I..! What? I never touched you” Chuck frowned at her.

“In the gate room, when…I left” Anna took a breath, she really had to get a handle on her temper. Her quick fuse was always worse when she was drained. “When you hugged me, I felt it”

Her friend closed his eyes. “Shit” He whispered.

“You read him by accident, through touch?” Steven lay a hand on Chuck’s shoulder and squeezed gently.

“I wasn’t trying, really” Anna sighed resignedly and sat on the steps that led to the chair. “I guess, well, I was more open, raw. And I’d been prodded and poked about. I did things that day…I would never have attempted before, never thought possible”

“Jesus, what else were you interfering with?” Her friend had opened his eyes now so he could glower at her.

Anna held her hands up in surrender. “Honestly, I, I didn’t mean to. And I asked to see you two tonight because now the pairing process is done I can tell you stuff. Stuff I should have told you a long time ago. And I wanted to apologise…for leaving”

“You needed to Anna” The Pilot sat on the floor in front of her. “We understood”

Chuck nodded silently and sat beside Steven. “It sucked, but we got it”

“Maybe, if I’d stayed..”

“You could still be locked away in a lab somewhere with the techs” Steven raised a brow. “O’Neill and Landry pushed through your request for a reason”

“I know” She examined her hands. “Look, this isn’t what I wanted to see you for anyway. The Anna Rayne pity party is officially broken up” Chuck snorted quietly. “I just wanted you to know that I know. And what I was capable of that day. I wasn’t even trying to read you Chuck I promise, I was too scared to open my mind to anything, risk breaking down the walls I’d built up. I could feel everything when you hugged me and I’m so sorry you went through that. That I knew you were going through that and I still left” She leant forward to squeeze his hand briefly as he nodded. “So, I’m sorry. And I think you’re pretty amazing to still be ok, if still an annoying asshole”

He gave her a tired smile. “Don’t be sorry. And you’re an asshole too”

“I know”

“And why am I here sweetheart?” Steven rose another brow. 

Anna licked her lips, let out a quiet breath. “When I said goodbye to you, hugged you…I may have given you a prod in Chuck’s direction”

The Pilot frowned. “Impossible”

“Before then, yes. And I can’t do it now either but..like I said, I was different. My Empathic side was more raw, pushed to the fore”

“And you manipulated me? Made me suspicious?”

“Yes” She nodded, looked back down at her hands. “I’m sorry, it was a disgusting invasion of your mind. And it scares me that I did it”

“Bloody hell Anna” There was a moments silence. “But it saved a man’s life”

She raised her head. “Really?”

Steven still looked serious but he nodded. “Yes, I may not have picked up on it soon enough, or at all. I was so self-involved at the time”

“You were grieving Steven” Chuck playfully banged their shoulders together. “We talked about this. All of us were seriously fucked up” He shot Anna a look. “Some of us still are”

“Hey” She scowled at him. “I am not fucked up”

“You’re seriously insane”

“I can’t help it” Anna grinned. “And I like to think it’s part of my charm” Chuck rolled his eyes. She eyed him. “You really nearly died?”

He swallowed. “Yeah, Steven..he got to me just in time. With Ro and Teyla”

“I didn’t realise it had gotten so bad”

“My fault”

Steven poked him in the side. “Bullshit. You don’t ever say shit like that ok?”

“I let him…”

“He was emotionally blackmailing you Chuck”

“I..” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m trying, Evan says the same”

“Good. And good to hear for definite that you two have finally sorted your shit out. I was getting concerned” Steven smiled at him.

“He was worried, about hurting me”

“What?!”

Chuck waved his hands in the air. “Not like that!” He cleared his throat. “He just, didn't want to do more harm than good”

“You’re a good match” 

Her friend nodded. “Yeah, never thought….” He trailed off.

“You’d find another one?” Anna smiled sadly at him. “I thought I’d be stuck on the city for the first few runs. Didn’t think there’d be anyone to equal my insanity”

“And yet, here is Mitchell” Steven grinned at her. “It seems to be working well”

“Unfortunately”

“You like him”

“Do not”

“Do too” Chuck smirked at her. “And you do as you’re told”

“Bite me, and stop being creepy” She rolled her eyes. “He’s what I need to fly”

“He’s more than that” Steven gave her a look. “Don’t undervalue him Anna, that’s when cracks start to appear. Accept him for what he is”

“An arrogant asshole”

“Your match, you stubborn bitch” Chuck sighed. “All of them, our new team mates..I’m glad they made it here. I think…they’re going to help. And I think, as much as I adored Marshall, we could be even better like this”

“Perhaps” Anna swallowed. “I still miss him”

“We all do sweetie” Chuck shuffled round and slung an arm round her shoulders. “And I’m sorry you lost him”

She nodded. “Me too. But it’s better now. Cameron…he made it better”

“Good” Chuck pressed a kiss to her hair. “Then he gets to live another day”

“I missed you, both of you”

Steven snorted. “We are all so screwed up”

“Even you?”

“Even me sweetheart”

“Well, then we’re totally fucked” Anna felt Chuck chuckle beside her. “We should have done this, before”

“We made mistakes Anna” Steven smiled at her. “But we survived them and now we’re back. And maybe those mistakes will one day reveal themselves to have been necessary, to have gotten us all back here. To win this war”

She nodded, chewed her lip. “There’s something else I have to tell you…”

“Oh God”

“Hey!”

 

John watched the other Pilot pace the length of his and Rodney’s quarter’s, again. He exchanged a look with his Navi who’d momentarily been distracted from his work by the other man’s restlessness. He sighed, their sleep had been cut short by a radio call from the anxious Colonel. “Cameron, will you sit down for fuck’s sake. You’re making me feel dizzy, and a little sick” Rodney snorted as he was flipped off.

His old friend sank into a chair, fingers tapping out a rhythm on his knee. “She’s been ages, I’m going to radio her”

He shook his head and checked his watch. “She’s been an hour Mitchell. Leave her alone, unless you want an already tetchy Navi to be wound up even more. This is important she said”

“I don’t like it”

“I know she drives you nuts Mitch” He grinned at the death glare he was shot. “But when you really think about it how often does Anna actually ask you of things like this hmm? An hour or so to herself, a little privacy”

“She should be resting”

“Answer the damn question” John could sense his Navi taking more of an interest in the conversation, despite his head still being bent to his work.

He watched the other man run a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, maybe three, four times”

“Since you met her?”

Mitchell nodded. “Yeah”

“You’re lucky she hasn’t killed you in your sleep”

“Fuck off Sheppard”

“Nope, these are my quarters remember?”

“Actually they’re mine” Rodney swivelled his chair round to face them. “And you can both fuck off if you’re gong to argue like schoolboys whilst I’m trying to work”

“Feisty isn’t he?” John grinned at Mitchell.

“Please Shep, just don’t”

“Unless of course..” Rodney tapped his pen thoughtfully against his lips. “..you want to settle it by naked wrestling, then you’re quite welcome to stay”

“I’m hurt baby” John pouted at his Navi.

“And I’m seriously disturbed” Mitchell stretched his legs out. “Sorry, I guess we needed more time after the flight”

“Umhmm, not enough contact, didn’t work through your comedown properly” John raised a brow.

“There was the debrief and then she wanted to go off. I should have refused”

“She’d have been pissed” Rodney was still watching them. “And we’re all figuring it out”

Mitchell rubbed his neck. “I should be in bed, with my Navi”

“Gross” Rodney wrinkled his nose. 

“Just snuggling” The Pilot smirked at him.

“Even grosser”

John snorted. His radio beeped on the desk and he raised a brow before gesturing to his Navi to throw it over. Catching it and placing it in his ear John pressed the earpiece. “Sheppard”

“We need a meet Shep, down in the chair room. Make sure you’re not followed”

“Um, ok Sir”

His radio went dead. 

“Shep?”

“Looks like we’re all invited to your Navi’s party Mitch” He stood. “Uh, anyone know where the chair room is?”

Rodney closed his laptop. “I do”

“You do?” Mitchell stood and frowned at him.

“Anna showed me once. Thought I’d be interested in the tech”

“And were you?” John took a quick look along the empty corridor before leading them out. 

“It’s impressive. I’m surprised the engineers and techs aren’t all over it”

“Know why?” 

They stepped into the transporter and Rodney hit a section of the display panel in front of him. “No, but I guess it’s nothing to do with the Viper’s or the war. Maybe when it’s done they’ll take another closer look at it”

“The chair can be used to control the city right?” John shot his Navi a questioning look.

“Supposedly. I think it was water logged up until only a few months ago and no one seemed to be able to get it functioning properly when they first got here. Sumner told Anna that when the Krill came it was shut up for good”

“You’d think it would be a plus in the war to get it going again” They stepped out and John held back to let Rodney lead the way.

His Navi shrugged. “Too much time, not enough power. The ZPM’s are under enough strain keeping the city hidden, and afloat”

“Huh” They turned a corner and made their way to large double doors that seemed to be sealed tight, and very dirty. Their footsteps sounded loud in the surrounding silence even though they were being careful, John shot a look over his shoulder but it was deserted. “It’s like a ghost town down here”

“Guess that’s a good thing” Mitchell stepped forward and ran his hand over the sensor. The doors slid open smoothly despite their appearance and they stepped inside.

 

Steven looked around his squad who were now sat in a circle in front of the chair, noting how Anna had placed herself as far away from it as possible. She was also pressed in tight to her Pilot, her usual reluctance to display any affection for the man seemingly gone for now, perhaps being defeated by the effects of their flight today and her earlier confessional. His own Navi was cross-legged beside him, her hand draped causally over his knee. Really they should all be in their respective beds seeking out some much needed comfort but now their downtime was over, and with the discovery of the Hybrid wreckage he knew none of them would be getting much breathing space any time soon. He sighed quietly. “Things need to be discussed. Secrets, some of which I knew about, some I didn’t, have to be revealed. I was hoping we’d have more time, that shit would be slowly uncovered as we progressed through our first run. However, with the Hybrid, and a supposedly powerful new race making it’s presence known in Pegasus, we no longer have that luxury”

They watched him carefully. “The tests I’m not worried about, the techs can kiss my arse. Unfortunately for the General it’s his job to mediate between them and the military and I’m quite happy with things staying like that. The only thing I have to say on the matter is that I am not going to let them screw this up for us, they’ll have my Eagles before I let them touch any of you” There were a couple of raised brows but his team remained silent. “Secrets and lies grow roots, bed down, disturb the ground. Obviously I can’t order you to lay your lives bare and I wouldn’t cross that line but I ask you to seriously consider what you have in those crazy heads of yours that could affect our mission, put your squadron at risk”

“Not only will we be going straight into intense and long flights straight off but there is a high probability we’ll be involved in some kind of air combat very soon in the future. We need to strengthen our bonds, learn about each other, be able to read each other even when we can’t see the other’s faces, be able to predict each others reactions” He rubbed his thumb over the back of his own Navi’s suddenly tightening hand. “We also have to know what we need to protect each other from here in the city, what we need to watch out for, throw the techs off from”

“This sounds serious Caldwell” His 2IC raised a brow.

“Some of it will be Mitchell. Perhaps more so for those of us who have been on Atlantis before, back on Earth there’s not much that escapes your official records but here everyone has friends, and favours owed. Things can be concealed far more easily. The chain of command is more blurry” He looked around them once more. “You know that big spiel they give you when you join? About being part of a Viper Squadron is like nothing you’ve ever done before, nothing you’ve ever felt? All that ‘you’re not a team, you’re a family’ bullshit?” There were a couple of nods from the newest members of the programme. “Well, it’s true. Until you leave your life will revolve around your flight partner and your squad. Even if you don’t feel it now you will go to the ends of the Earth to protect them, you will trust and care for them like you haven’t any other person before. If they get hurt you’re gonna be pissed and scared, if someone threatens them you’re gonna wanna punch them in the face and if you lose one of them…” He sighed again. “Well, you’ve seen only the tip of the iceberg of what happened to my old team when we lost Sumner. And we weren’t the first squad to crumble, won’t be the last either”

There was a moments silence. He waited.

“You’ve seen our files?” Steven nodded at Sheppard. The other Pilot pursed his lips. “Theres nothing I’m hiding that isn’t in mine. I believe the fuck up in Afghanistan takes up three whole A4 pages”

Mitchell huffed a quiet laugh. “Mine’s four”

“Well, you shouldn’t have broken your CO’s nose” Lorne leant forward and raised a brow.

“He was a dick”

“You could have been discharged”

“It was worth it”

McKay frowned at his Pilot. “Is that what I saw when we were paired? That man in the desert?”

Sheppard swallowed then nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry you had to…it wasn’t our finest hour”

“What happened?”

The Pilot sighed. “We were sent out to do a drop, enemy encampment supposedly stacked with weaponry and supplies. From the sky it’s hard to see, we rely on our intel, the information we’re fed by the guys who monitor the satellite images. On our first sweep something didn’t feel right, didn’t look right. Mitch agreed with me so we pulled round for a second look. Our General took over the comms back on base, was going nuts, wouldn’t listen..”

“On the second sweep we caught the outline of artillery guns but still…we should have ignored our orders, told the General to stick it”

“You fired anyway?” Anna stared up at her Pilot. She must have seen some of this during the pairing process but the confirmation would further stabilise her trust if Mitchell could tell the truth.

He smiled sadly at her. “Yes Princess, too many years of military training, too many friends lost, too many potshots taken at us. We couldn’t risk it. But we made the satellite guys triple check their intel, they gave us a solid confirmation”

“They lied?”

“Possibly” Mitchell sighed. “When we landed the base was in chaos. We hadn’t hit an enemy camp, we’d taken out one that held a crew from a downed chopper. One of ours”

“I’m so sorry Cameron” Anna lightly touched his hand.

“A long time ago now”

“And you beat up your General?”

Lorne snorted. “We offered to go back out there, there was still patchy radio contact and Shep could fly an Apache better than anyone but our CO refused”

“He was going to leave his people?”

“Said there was no chance they were still alive. The radio was probably knocked on as the bombs hit”

“Wow, he sounds so charming” Anna smiled carefully.

Sheppard huffed a laugh. “You think he’s charming now? He then suggested that I was so keen to launch a rescue mission because I was fucking one of the crew” 

“Then Mitchell punched him” Lorne snorted quietly.

“Totally beat me to it”

“But caused enough of a distraction for you to take the Apache” Mitchell flipped off his old friend.

“True”

“But that man, in the desert..he died?” Rodney looked sadly at his Pilot.

“Yeah, he did. We pulled three out of the five stranded crew out alive. They’d seen us swing round, obviously realised what was going on and had tried to get out of there. The survivors suffered bad injuries but they were treatable. Before we could take off we came under heavy fire, that man took a shot for me despite the fact I’d tried to blow him up an hour before, even though I’d killed his friends”

“You didn’t kill them”

“I pushed the button, made the decision”

“That must have taken a long time to get over” Laura was looking at Sheppard with a curious expression on her face.

“It did. And it’ll always stay with us” He ran a hand through his hair. “But for the most part I think we’ve moved on, at least enough to operate a Viper without freezing”

“They wouldn’t have let you in one if you hadn’t Sheppard” Steven nodded at him. “I saw it in your files, it was a huge fuck-up on your CO’s behalf. He should have been kicked out the Force”

“What did happen to him?” Anna raised a brow at Mitchell.

“Spent six months at some hell hole in the middle of the desert then came back to a shiny promotion and a pay rise”

“How?”

“Connections Princess” Mitchell gave a wry smile. “Not just here things can be corrupt, hidden away”

“And you?”

“Got a huge write up in my files, a black mark, it was meant to warn anyone else against having me on their base”

“And John and Evan?”

“Yep, us too” Lorne stretched his legs out. “Fortunately for us a Colonel on base at the time took note of our names, passed them on to an old friend, recommended us for a certain recruitment drive”

“The SGC?”

“Yeah” Sheppard nodded. “He knew O’Neill, had been involved with the programme for a few years. A month before our CO returned we were offered a place on the Viper training programme, were warned he was coming back”

“Good timing”

“Yep”

“Suspicious?”

“We tried not to think about it”

“A good decision” Steven looked them over. “Anything else?”

“Nothing save a few personal fuck-ups” Mitchell shrugged. “I wouldn’t say they were anything more than the usual bad life decisions” He grinned. “No jail time or anything, although I can’t speak for the others”

“I got caught speeding a few times” Sheppard grinned back at him. 

“Why does that not surprise me” Rodney rolled his eyes before looking serious. “But..I’m sorry you had to experience that”

“Don’t be baby, nothing to do with you” The Pilot smiled as his Navi laced their fingers together. “And we survived, just like always”

“So, you kept flying?” Laura was still looking at them curiously. 

“Took a couple of weeks downtime, went home and mended some fences, that kind of shit makes you realise you know…but yes, we went back. The first few missions were a little arse clenching but we were soon back to our awesome selves”

“And still so modest” Chuck grinned at them. “Well, if your deepest darkest secret is punching out an asshole CO and staging a heroic rescue then I am truly screwed”

“We killed our friends”

“You went to save them”

“It sucked” Lorne frowned at his Navi.

“I’m sure it did” Chuck banged shoulders gently with his Pilot. “I’m sorry, I make jokes when I’m nervous”

Lorne huffed a quiet laugh. “We’d noticed” He ran hand over his face. “It was pretty devastating”

“I’m sorry” Chuck inched in closer. “You’re not a bad person Ev, not a killer”

“The families thought differently, and I agree with them”

“They needed someone to blame and you were following orders”

“Orders we should have disobeyed. We’re not fucking robots”

“We understand, we fly” Chuck shot him a look. “Split seconds to make a decision, your reliance on your ground team. You are nearly completely blind up there. You should maybe feel a little guilt but you shouldn’t tear yourself apart over it”

“Wise words” Steven nodded. “Unfortunately we all have casualties of war to answer for. We just have to keep reminding ourselves of who we really are, of our true intentions”

 

They were all staring at Laura open-mouthed as she ticked off her list. “….and I accidentally blew up this temple we were supposed to be exploring, and there was the planet where I activated some tech that gave out a purple mist that made you really horny….oh and I once shot Thor in the foot by mistake”

Cameron blinked. “Uh, who’s Thor?”

“Asgard” Sheppard raised a brow. “You know, the grey naked guy”

“Oh” He frowned. “I don’t know if you’re technically naked if you’ve got no..you know”

“Minus clothing is naked Mitch, whatever you have..you know”

“Sure?”

“Yes” Sheppard rolled his eyes. “It was weird, like you’re all just standing around talking to a naked alien. And no one seemed to notice”

“You don’t tell very powerful aliens that they should put some pants on Colonel” Caldwell grinned at him. “You also don’t shoot them”

“It was an accident” Laura pouted. “He forgave me, I think”

“I’m sure he did Navi, and whilst that was incredibly disturbing information you just shared I don’t think any of it is something we need to worry about”

“Are you kidding me? She destroys everything she touches” Cam smirked at their leader. “You are so dead”

“Shut up Cameron” Laura flipped him off.

“Play nice children” Caldwell smiled at the young woman. “Anything else?”

“Um” Her brow furrowed. “Oh, uh, yes maybe”

“Uh oh”

“Shut up Chuck” She glared at him before clearing her throat. “Well, I may have dumped my team leader three weeks before getting this job and he swore to destroy my career, and life”

“Men are such drama queens” Anna smiled at her fellow Navi.

“You really do have a thing for authority figures”

“Bite me Rodney”

“Euw, no thanks”

Cam snorted. “Does he have enough sway?”

“Don’t think so” Laura shrugged. “He certainly couldn’t stop me coming out here”

“We’ll have his name Navi” Caldwell grinned. “I can have someone watch him, and make sure he doesn’t decide on a impromptu transfer”

“I don’t think he’d do that. He’s probably moved on by now”

“In any case I think its best” 

Laura sighed. “Right, fine” There was a moments silence. “What now?”

“It would help Lieutenant” Lorne raised a brow.

“Damn it” She shifted a little on her arse. “Paul Emerson”

“Oooh, he’s cute”

“Seriously?” Cam frowned at his Navi. “I’m right here”

“Well, he is” Anna smiled up at him. There were a few muttered agreements. “See?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well he’s also a controlling asshole”

“Like you”

There was a quiet cough that sounded suspiciously like it came from his squadron leader. Cam glared at her. “You’d last a day with him, tops”

Laura raised a hand. “Actually I can confirm that” She grinned. “I drove him nuts”

“I bet you did”

“So, you knew him?” Laura tilted her head to the side, studying him.

“Yeah, he was second in command of my first posting”

“Oh, that Emerson” Sheppard leant forward slightly to grin at Cameron. “He is cute”

“So wrong its not even funny” He made a face.

“Agreed” Steven shot him a grin then smoothed his expression. “So, I guess it’s my turn..” He gestured to Chuck and Anna. “..our turn”

Cam sighed. “I knew there was more crap going on”

“You need to understand Mitchell that we’re part of an older family, and we may now be down to three members but all those things I mentioned earlier still stand between us. We’ve been protecting each other but now we need to start trusting our new family. Letting you in. Both Anna and I were cautious before the pairing, we didn’t want to expose you to anything that you couldn’t hide”

He nodded resignedly. “Anna said pretty much the same thing”

“I’m sorry Cameron” His Navi smiled sheepishly up at him.

“It’s ok Princess, you said as much as you could. I understand” Anna nodded and Cam raised a brow. “So, from the beginning..”

His Navi looked at Caldwell who nodded. “It starts with you Anna”

She nodded again. “A Viper hit didn’t destroy the Hybrid, I did…”

 

Steven stood on the small balcony and looked out over the water. It was nearly dawn now, his impromptu meeting with the rest of the squad had finished only three hours ago and while his Navi was sleeping off the effects of yesterday’s run plus a late night he had slipped out, restless and uneasy. He’d studied the other Pilot’s faces carefully whilst first Anna then Chuck had told their stories, with only his participance needed once when he’d had to describe finding Chuck beaten and bloody all those months ago. There was the inevitable wariness, the shock at discovering not all Pilot/Navi bonds were harmonious and loving and there had been many questions directed at Anna about how she had managed to get into the Hybrids’s systems, was she still capable of getting into the other squad member’s minds.

The Empath had answered truthfully, as far as Steven could tell and using his own knowledge to back up her stories, and their reactions had surprised him. He’d been expecting mistrust, a sudden caution of her but they had merely been curious, McKay even becoming a little excited about the endless possibilities of her abilities until Mitchell had put a stop to it. There was a firm message that Anna was not to be used as a weapon or as a way to gather data, the twitch in his jaw indicating that anyone who even considered the possibility would soon find themselves suffering an even worse fate than the Krill themselves could promise. He smiled sadly to himself, for Anna to have found such a fierce protector on her first run was both a blessing and a curse. Steven hoped that Colonel Mitchell’s dedication to the Navi would never have to be tested to it’s limit, the fallout could be phenomenal.

He propped his elbows on the railing and sighed quietly. He had been tempted, really tempted, to tell them his final secret, especially when they had seemingly accepted Anna’s story so well but something had stopped him. And that told him one of two things, either he still didn’t trust them one hundred percent or that maybe his actions did not sit as well in his heart as he told himself they did. Steven shifted so he could tug the tags from his BDU pant’s pocket, held them high so he could watch them spin gently in his grasp. Opening the other hand he pooled them into his palm, the weight and coolness of the metal more so than it really should be, he curled his fist around them. Squeezing tight so they dug into his skin he closed his eyes, imprinting their image in his palm before pulling his hand back and swinging his arm over and up, releasing them at the top of his swing and watching them disappear into the waves below.

Bowing his head for a moment in silent prayer he then took another deep breath before turning on his heels and walking back into the city.

 

As she watched him turn and pass through the doors that would lead him back to the flight team’s designated sector she stepped back, not wishing to be seen. Anna rubbed her chest, losing herself in her thoughts. It seemed that she was not the only one who was struggling to find sleep. She tilted her head, ran her eyes over the water. That had definitely been dogtags her old friend had thrown over the side, and it had seemed as if it had been done with some ceremony.

Steven Caldwell had always been kind to her and Anna liked him. He was dedicated, loyal, generous and an all round nice person but when she’d swept the surface of the squad’s minds during her confession earlier his had been surprisingly muted. It was like the edges had been blurred, presenting a perfectly acceptable but fuzzy picture. If you described Anna’s ability as being able to see emotions as others could colours then Steven’s had been a nice shade of magnolia with a few fuzzy lines of white thrown across it for good measure. No one’s emotions looked like that, even someone who was asleep or in a state of calm happiness. She had learnt long ago there were always flashes of red or green, anger, love or sadness tainting the edges.

She looked down, watched the hand that was rubbing her chest, snapped it away before holding it in front of her face, turning it around as she frowningly examined it. The dull ache across her heart wouldn’t go away and what was worse was that she knew it was because she was supposed to learn something from it but her mind remained infuriatingly blank. She sighed quietly, difficult or not she had to sleep, that was the only way her stupid brain would get working again and as much as she was dreading the inevitable dreams that would be a backlash from her search of the Krill Hybrid they may hold some clues too. 

Also if she didn’t get back soon Cameron would be pissed. He’d stirred as she’d slipped from their bed and Anna had murmured she was going for a walk as she couldn’t sleep. She’d received a half-asleep glare and he’d held up a splayed hand in reply, and now she’d been gone a lot more than five minutes. Giving another sigh she moved back inside and headed towards the mess, maybe if she returned with bacon he wouldn’t yell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, talky, talky chapter! I am sorry for the lack of action, smut or otherwise, and I hope you managed to make it through without falling asleep face down on your keyboard!
> 
> As always thank you for reading and ploughing through it. All feedback is very much welcome, feel free to tell me I ramble too much :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/rubyblues83/media/ban1-1_zpsc5f5cca7.jpg.html)

Anna laced her fingers through her Pilots and pulled his arms tighter around her body. There was a huffed breath over her neck. “This is making the sex a little awkward Princess”

“I’m not bothered about the sex”

“Bullshit” He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, sliding one arm a little lower to give himself leverage against her hips but never breaking the comforting pressure of the hold she was in. Anna was pressed in tight to the front of his body, her back moulded to his chest, legs parted slightly by his own placed between them. With his arms wrapped around her torso and the comforter pulled high she was enjoying the feeling of being safe and warm. Soft kisses trailed over her throat. “I’m telling your friends you like to spoon”

“Do not” She scowled at the bedside clock. “I just don’t like to deal with the bitching when I refuse”

“Mean this morning, my baby girl” Cameron started to move again, smooth and shallow thrusts that almost made Anna feel like they had all the time in the world, the impending deadline of his departure momentarily forgotten.

“You’re just more sensitive”

“Stop it now” He whispered in her ear. Her Pilot’s hold tightened even more as his teeth grazed over her neck, the first small sounds of pleasure escaping his throat as he put more power behind his movements. “So good” He murmured. “Always feel so good” Licking her lips Anna let her eyes slide shut and purposefully flexed her muscles, Cameron liked the way it felt around his dick and it helped build her pleasure too. There was a quiet moan that made her ripple round him again, this time reflexively to the sound he’d issued. He gave an appreciative hum. “Such a good girl”

Anna could feel the heat growing over her skin beneath the covers, the warmth of his body and the layers of cotton heightening her body’s reaction to his touch, his whispered words. Her Pilot never forgot how important it was to her to hear him praise her, caress over her insides with his murmurings. Perhaps he needed it too, to reaffirm how they worked, how well their dynamics meshed in the bedroom as well as out of it. And now Cameron was practically devouring her neck and shoulder, his ragged breathing moistening her skin as his arms squeezed tighter and tighter. This couldn’t last much longer, her Pilot had been lazily thrusting in and out of her for some time now and picking up his pace like this would be spiralling him towards his own climax.

The Navi let herself fall into his words, focusing on how it felt to have his dick sliding in and out of her, the way his teeth were starting to dig into her shoulder hard enough to leave marks. Her stomach began to swirl and she heard herself whimper quietly, the wetness between them slid down the inside of her thighs and she could feel it slicking up his balls. Her Pilot cursed into her skin, his arm forcing her back onto him as hard as he could in their position. Anna clenched around his length and whispered his name.

Cameron’s teeth released their bruising grip on her shoulder and he groaned, his hips now grinding against hers. “Cum for me my Princess, just like this”

Anna felt herself release slightly around him before pulling in tight, her body trying to shake in the iron hold but being clamped so hard it was forced to remain still. Everything grew to an almost unbearable heat then it was gone, the blissful feeling of release washing over her. Her Pilot hissed into her skin as the last tremors of his own climax reverberated up her back. He moaned quietly before resting his head on her shoulder, evening out his breathing again. His arms loosed. “It’s so awesome you can do that”

She rolled her eyes to herself and stretched out like a contented cat, causing his arms to fall away. “Practice makes perfect”

“Quit it” He nipped at her skin before gently sliding out with a quiet grunt.

“Right, I forgot. I was a virgin when we met” Anna grimaced at the feeling of his cum running down the crease of her arse cheeks.

“Umhmm” Cameron tugged her to her back and she blinked up at him. “You’re very bratty after flying”

Anna stuck her tongue out. He narrowed his gaze. She rolled her eyes again. “Only after sending my mind out into space actually”

Her Pilot sighed. “Something we won’t be repeating”

“We may have to”

“No” He frowned down at her. “I’m not having you being out for so long again”

“We’re at war Cameron” She reached up with one hand, ran her fingers through his hair.

“And there are other ways Princess” He pressed a kiss to the top of her breasts. “I’m even more worried now we’ve come across this Hybrid, why now? After all this time, and when you, Chuck and Caldwell are back flying together”

“You think one of us is with the Krill”

Her Pilot glared at her. “No. But it must make you suspicious?”

“I fly Cameron. Thats all I concern myself with”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“Because you’re a suspicious and paranoid person. And a pessimist”

“Anna, please..” He sighed. “..just, promise me you’ll trust me with things ok? Anything that worries you”

She eyed him. Her Pilot looked tired and stressed despite the post-coital he must have going on. Chewing on her lip she nodded. “Ok”

“Ok” Another gentle kiss. “Thank you baby girl” He lay his head on her chest. “Two minutes then I’d better grab a shower. You going to be ok today?”

“Yes Cameron, stop fussing” Anna trailed her fingers over the back of his neck. “I’m going to get some sleep, then some very unhealthy food and then I may go and talk to Rodney, see if I can get his face to go that cool shade of red”

He snorted quietly. “No torturing the genius. We need him on side, and Shep would get angry”

Anna licked her lips thoughtfully. “I can’t imagine him angry”

“Doesn’t happen very often, I’ll give you that”

“I bet it’s hot” She fought the urge to giggle as he pinched her side. There was only so much girly she could do before wanting to vomit, and be slightly mortified at herself. “You get mad all the time”

“Your fault” He mumbled into her skin.

“Thank you” With her Pilot seemingly content to let that one slide she settled back, turning her light touch into firm circles over his shoulder. 

He groaned. “Definitely another massage when I get back”

“Maybe”

“Yes”

“Bossy”

His tongue flicked over her breast. “Umhmm”

They lay in silence for a few moments then Anna sighed. “Cameron?”

“Yeah Princess?” From the sounds of his voice she guessed he must have been nearly asleep. He should probably be taking the day off too. 

“I think Steven is hiding something” Her Pilot raised his head and frowned at her. She shrugged. “When I try to read him it’s all white and fuzzy”

“Why are you trying to read him Anna?” Cameron looked down at her, his brow still furrowed. 

“The first time was last night, I promise. I just wanted to gauge people’s reactions to my story about the Hybrid, I was nervous..” He nodded his understanding. “I was only skimming, not searching, but Steven’s…I couldn’t get anything. And the harder I tried the more blurry it got. Like my own mind was getting filled with this haziness”

“You seen this before Anna?”

She shook her head. “No. The only person I’ve met who can block me is Teyla, and with her it’s like running into a brick wall. Hurts like it too”

“Shit” Cameron let out a breath and pushed up, moving to sit sprawled legged on the bed. “Any ideas?”

“No, I can’t think of anything. And maybe it’s not important, or it’s personal. Something he wanted to hide once he knew he’d be working with me again. I don’t know” Anna sat up, chewed her lip. “He was on the balcony earlier, I watched him”

Her Pilot raised a brow. “And?” Anna bowed her head. She didn’t want to hide anything from her Pilot but the bonds of their old team, the feelings for this man whom she had been nearly as close to as Marshall were still there. She jumped as a hand rested over hers and she looked back up to stare into Cameron’s sad blue eyes. “Think about it today my baby girl. I know you’re friends, probably more than that in some ways. Just remember your new squad, your new family. If Caldwell is hiding something that can hurt us, we may have to confront it ok?”

She swallowed. “Ok, thank you”

“I’ll always try to understand”

Anna nodded. “I know”

“I’m always here. Always on your side”

She nodded again. “I know. Thank you Cameron”

“And thank you” He leant forward and brushed his lips over hers. “And make sure you still rest, get your food too. If you’re feeling restless go bug McKay but stay clear of the main city, and the labs” Anna raised a brow. “I mean it Princess, you don’t go anywhere near those Techs, I don’t trust them. And having all the Pilots from our squadron off-world today means you have no one as back up”

“Please, I’m your back-up AND front line”

“Very funny” Cameron rolled his eyes and slid off the bed, reaching for a towel. “Promise me”

Anna tilted her head. He was projecting as normal but there were faint hints of panic tainting her Pilot’s usual relaxed but slightly angry, a little horny, aura. She nodded. “I promise”

 

Three years ago.

“Listen to me Angel”

Anna nodded, blinking up at her Pilot.

“You stay away from those labs you hear? And no talking to the Techs without me”

She frowned, he’d been angry earlier when he’d caught her talking to Dr Harrison over lunch and she had been steered away soon after. “Why?”

“Because they are a little too interested in your particular skill set my Angel, and I’ve seen them when they find an exciting new project. You are here to fly, to be my Navigator, not for them to poke and prod about. Do you understand?”

Anna nodded again, chewed her lip. “Aren’t there other Empaths here?”

“Currently only the Athosian” He smiled down at her. “Although all of the personnel must have the gene to be considered for a position on the city your gift is still a rarity”

“It is not a gift” She whispered, looked down at her hands. Her chin was gently gripped, her head tilted up until she was looking into kind blue eyes.

“Yes it is Anna” His thumb stroked her cheek. “Your abilities have been neglected, ignored out of misunderstanding and fear. Think on Miss Emmagan’s offer, her Empathic side was fed, nurtured and she could do the same for you. One day you could be very powerful Anna, in some ways I think you already are”

She swallowed, licked her lips.

“I will always do everything I can to keep you safe, as will Jack and Hank but one day we may not be around. Miss Emmagan’s training will reassure me you will be ready to defend yourself physically and mentally if it is ever needed”

“Ok” She worried at her lip. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No, my Angel” Dropping his hand from her face after a seconds hesitation her Pilot gave her one last smile and turned on his heels, the door to her quarters sliding silently shut behind his retreating back. Anna sighed and went to turn on the shower, her own Pilot’s fear still prickling at her nerves. 

 

Present Day

Anna stared down the woman in white. “You know its very bad manners to go wandering about in other peoples heads” She was offered a serene smile. Anna narrowed her gaze. “Who are you? And what are you doing prodding about in my mind, and how long have you been here?” She waved a vague hand around her. Empathic dreams always freaked her out, walking about in your own brain whilst you slept was not only surreal whilst happening but completely threw you off balance for the first couple of hours of wakefulness.

The woman bowed her head slightly. “All very understandable questions, and I apologise for the invasion of your thoughts. To answer your first I have no name as such despite being called many things throughout my existence”

Anna sighed. “You are as frustrating as the Athosian to speak to”

Her invader laced her fingers together, hands resting gently against her stomach. “I am a small representation of the sentient part of the one you call Atlantis”

The Navi gaped at her. “You’re…the city?” Anna pointed at her, finger shaking slightly. “In my head?! Get out! Thats weird!”

“Please, Anna..”

“I mean it! Bugger off. This is crossing so many ‘weirdometer’ lines its not funny!” Anna glared at her.

“We..I, I only wish to help” The woman frowned. “Sorry, it is not often I refer to myself as an individual”

“But you take relaxing strolls in your residents head’s quite frequently?” Anna ran a hand through her hair. “Jesus, no wonder I’ve been all over the place”

“I admit my presence has had some minor side effects..”

“Like lighting up the Vipers” Anna sighed. “Shit, Cameron is gonna be so mad”

“I enhanced your connection but you have always been able to fly alone Anna. You brought Marshall back to us, he was a great champion of the city’s and we mourned him also”

She scowled at her. “Piss off”

“No” Atlantis sighed. “We are part sentient, you are aware of this. We form bonds with the people who seek shelter within our walls”

“Yeah well, this bond is too…bond-y. Please leave”

“I cannot, not yet”

“Why?” Anna eyed her. 

Atlantis smiled gently. “It took you some time to find me despite this being your mind, despite the strength of your ability. That is because I dwell here, in a part of your memory that you wanted to keep hidden”

She looked around her, it was cold here, and the usual light that followed Anna was dimmer than usual. “Um, hidden from..me?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, your past self recognised how important it was to keep this concealed from her future self, from you. But it seems that you underestimated yourself Anna, you failed to predict how powerful you would become”

“I’m a little creeped out. And why would I want to hide something from myself, I don’t remember anything like that”

“Exactly”

Anna rolled her eyes. “So annoying” She tipped her head to the side, the other woman was seemingly relaxed but she had not moved from the door she stood in front of. There was a faint green light emanating from its edges and the tips of what looked like organic tendrils showed in certain places around the small gaps. “Is what I’m hiding, what you’re hiding, in there?”

“Yes” Atlantis stepped back, closer to the door. “It is imperative you do not step through this doorway”

“But you have admitted I am stronger than the past me thought she would be, maybe I should know…”

“No” The woman shook her head. “Please, leave this place. I shall guard this door for as long as you walk my halls or fly my Vipers, after that it shall no longer matter”

Anna frowned. “And why should a great and powerful alien city give a shit about me?”

“You have lived here with us, you have defended us from the Krill, put your life at risk. As do many of the people here. You would endanger not only yourself, but them, and me”

The Empath closed her eyes, shoulders slumping resignedly. “I am a monster”

“No, please..” Anna jumped as her hands were clasped in warm, soft ones. “..do not ever think that. You are a kind person, loyal to those you call friend. This was not something you could have prevented but you can hold it back. Just leave me be. Leave this part of you to fade into the past”

“So I have something lurking in my own head that I don’t know about? Something that could destroy everything here?” Anna stepped back, pulling free from her grasp. “I don’t think I can. How can I fight something I don’t understand?”

“You’ve been doing it for a year Anna” Atlantis smiled sadly. “This doesn’t need fighting, just leaving alone”

“A year? Is it how I destroyed the Hybrid? Or my missing hours?”

“Leave this”

“You don’t get to give the orders in my head!” Anna glared at her, could feel her own anger sparking behind her eyes. “Move!”

“No!”

Anna winced at the shot of pain in her temple. “Oh no you didn’t?!” The words were ground out as she blinked back white spots, shook her head dazedly.

“You are strong but I am a city”

She swallowed back the bile. “A small part of a city actually” The Empath licked her lips. “And I’m not just a kick arse Empath, I’m also a shit hot Bantos person”

 

“We need Rayne for that”

“Not going to happen while she’s got the others around her. Landry, O’Neill and Caldwell are very influential. And her new Pilot is already displaying fiercely protective tendencies”

“O’Neill is on Earth and he isn’t as influential as he likes to think”

“He has Landry’s support, and friendship”

“For now. Caldwell is hiding something and it seems to connect to the esteemed O’Neill. The Empath is suspicious too”

“This could go very wrong. Do you really believe she is worth it?”

“Yes”

Dr Harrison leant back as his colleagues retreating back’s disappeared around the corner, resting the back of his head against the wall he gazed unseeing at the ceiling, trying to process the conversation he had just accidentally overheard. He had been on his way to pass on the results of the final pairing process to Dr Kavanagh when he had heard Miss Rayne’s name being mentioned, causing him to pause and wait outside the Head Technician’s office.

Matthew had always liked Anna Rayne, they had shared a handful of conversations over meals and cups of coffee until her late Pilot had put a stop to it, and despite Sumner’s intervention they had formed a tentative friendship. Any form of relationship between Techs and military were not encouraged, especially within the Pilot/Navi group, their superiors stating it could compromise the pairing process and impair the Tech’s judgement when making the final decisions. Perhaps in a way they were correct, Matthew remembered the way he had reacted when the reports came through that both Sumner and Rayne were KIA, how he couldn’t concentrate, eventually removing himself from the Viper Bay with an excuse of an oncoming migraine as the others swarmed the rest of the old Squadron One’s crafts.

And when the Navi had limped Viper One back to base he had been one of the first to scroll through her data, track her flight path. He had also made the risky decision to wipe almost two hours of activity from the database, he had seen Anna being taken to the infirmary and had, rightly, guessed she would not be in a position to answer questions for many weeks, or be able to withstand any interrogation when she finally did wake. Matthew frowned, from his memory her flight path would have taken her to an unexplored part of the Pegasus galaxy and his secretive research into that sector had shown there was nothing there. This discovery had made him confident about his actions, that he was in no way compromising the war effort through his deliberate concealment but if Kavanagh was once again on a mission to get Anna where he wanted her Matthew himself could be compromised, his small act of rebellion revealed.

Sighing quietly he pushed off the wall before he was found in deep thought in the otherwise empty corridor and slipped into his superiors office, placing the file on the desk where it would be seen immediately, turning and leaving before he became tempted to start snooping through the precariously stacked papers that seemed to reproduce here. Trying to keep his pace relaxed he made his way towards his own, smaller, workspace running through the options available to him. Of course it may not ever happen, as Dr Lee had told Kavanagh Anna had some very high up friends and Colonel Mitchell would no doubt go to any lengths to keep himself between the Techs and his Navigator but if they really did have something on O’Neill and Caldwell her circle of protection could split apart.

As the door to his office slid shut behind him Matthew ordered it locked and dragged his chair to the middle of the room before standing on it and reaching up to gently lift a part of the ceiling away, revealing a small space behind it that now held quite a number of data sticks and a few written notes. He had tried to keep his work on Viper One paper based and when he was forced to use the city’s system had immediately deleted his research and gone back through to remove his searches. Everything he had done was stored on one of these sticks and was so encrypted it would take someone of a higher calibre than either Lee or Kavanagh to break into, he often thought it a shame that both Colonel Carter and Dr Zalenka had chosen to take to the front line instead of working down here in the labs, he had seen glimpses of both of their genius and strongly believed they could be more help to the war working in the labs and on the city itself.

Replacing the tile he jumped softly from his perch and wheeled the chair back behind his desk, going back to remove the small scuff marks the wheels always made on the floor. When he was satisfied there was no trace he’d seemingly been randomly sitting in the middle of his office Matthew took a seat, plugging the data stick into his personal laptop, this couldn’t be done on his tablet, it’s links to the city’s complex system making it too risky. As he waited for it to boot up after months of sitting unused he grabbed his mug and went to flick on the small coffee machine, trying to decide how best to play this latest twist in the never-ending game.

Dr Peter Kavanagh had been on the first wave but had held a very lesser position within the science team, in fact now Matthew himself would be his superior if it was still so. But over the years, whilst the scientists had also become more influential with the discovery of the pairing tech, he had climbed with almost terrifying speed through the ranks, either somehow removing his superiors from their positions or managing to manoeuvre himself into promotion when one left or was killed performing their duty, which was a rare occurrence indeed amongst the civilian residents. He now ruled the Technicians and the entire sciences with an iron fist, still manipulating, still hungry for power and influence. And it was this hunger that wouldn’t allow the man to leave Anna Rayne well alone despite the very real risks. Even the Navi herself was quite capable of disabling him, either physically or empathically and still he wouldn’t back down.

Of course he had been forced to conceal most of his efforts as her friendship circle grew wider and began to encompass some very powerful people but it was still some kind of obsession. Matthew had a sneaking suspicion that it was to do with the city itself, with that damn chair that sat in darkness and silently taunted them for not being able to get it to sit up and play fetch. He reasoned that if the Navi was so successful in connecting with the Viper then she would be able to communicate with Atlantis just as efficiently, in this he agreed with Kavanagh, if that was what the man was thinking, but there was something about putting such a powerful young woman in that thing that made him feel uneasy. But to get Anna Rayne to do as you asked, especially if it was something she was not particularly keen to do, she either had to trust you implicitly or fear you enough to not be able to say no.

He poured himself a coffee and made his way back to the desk, eyes skimming over the information now covering his screen. To control Anna you had to be in her mind, and be strong enough to withstand her walls and her defensive strategies she had built up over the years. Of course in a way the Techs were already in her mind but there was much that they couldn’t reach, weren’t permitted to see and the only way Kavanagh could get that deep was to force it and that could destroy her mind. Matthew dragged a hand over his face, he didn’t want to see his old friend broken, a shadow of herself but who could he turn to? His colleagues would never threaten their own careers or wellbeing to assist him or a Navigator and they were the smartest people around the place, bar Carter and Zalenka. And if he went to them with rumours of a conspiracy he may just find himself shipped back to Earth or facing a disciplinary panel on which his superior would sit. He drummed his fingers thoughtfully on his desk.

 

Anna swore as she slid across the smooth cold floor and came to a not so elegant stop against a randomly appearing wall, she was getting a little pissed about the fact this intruder seemed to be able to manipulate the landscape of her mind as well as Anna herself. She struggled to her feet and held up a hand. “Ok, ok. Time out lady”

“I did issue a warning Anna”

“Bite me” She fully straightened and glared at her. “So, I think this is a bit of a Mexican standoff. I’m impressed, you’ve certainly got your claws into my brain huh?”

“Not usually” Atlantis smoothed over her slightly ruffled hair. “But you forced my hand Empath”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Why can’t I see whats behind that door?”

“I already told you Anna, it would endanger you, and me”

“But why?” She sighed, ran a hand through her hair. “This is what is pissing me off. If you explain then I can make that decision, if it is as terrible as you say then I can do more to keep it locked away” Her eyes flickered to the glimmering gaps. “It looks a little unstable, was it like that in the beginning?”

“I am afraid not” The woman turned to look at the door. “In that you are correct, the memory grows stronger, it has been since you made the decision to return here. When you first returned injured after Marshall’s death we helped you conceal the memory, escape it. We promised to keep it hidden from your future self for as long as you dwelt on Atlantis. It was a mutually benefiting agreement”

“So it was the Hybrid?” Anna frowned. “No, wait I remember that” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “It was something to do with my missing flight time?”

“Perhaps”

“Shit, thats not good”

The woman turned back. “What was it that made you return?”

“You mean you don’t know?” Anna sneered at her.

“That decision was made before I was here and now I only concern myself with this” A hand was waved behind her opponent. 

“Yeah right” Muttered Anna. She sighed again. “I don’t know. I don’t know what made me come back. Maybe meeting Rodney, maybe I felt I could do it again. Maybe even revenge. I couldn’t say for sure”

Atlantis nodded. “This could be concerning also. This memory could have become strong enough to influence you, albeit subconsciously”

“It wanted me back on the city?” Anna felt the hair on her arms stand on end. She shivered involuntarily.

“On this I am sure, but on whether you really were pushed here I cannot be”

The Navi sat down with a bump, looked down at her hands. “There weren’t supposed to be any more secrets”

“Yes, your meeting. It was a kind thought, your intentions were good”

“Now I have a secret I don’t even know….Steven is hiding..”

Atlantis crouched in front of her, Anna looked up and stared into the deepest and most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, could feel her mind slipping away into them. From the palest blue to the deepest black, covered in sparks of light. “What you see is what I see Anna, the sky, the galaxy beyond. This is where you need to be, what you need to concentrate your thoughts on. All you need to do is fly…” 

Anna soared, through the pretty colours and the twinkling stars, up, up, up until the final calming vastness of space enveloped her in its comforting blackness.

 

John picked his way through the undergrowth, shooting a look at Lorne’s Navi over his shoulder to make sure the man was still with him, the grief if he lost Chuck couldn’t bear to be contemplated. Coming to a stop by Mitchell he looked down, the other Pilot was knelt by another fallen resident of BDSM world. “Mitch?”

His friend raised his head and leant back slightly, revealing the face of the dead man. John raised a brow. “Anna’s old flame huh?”

Mitchell huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, not my favourite person but I wouldn’t wish this on anyone”

John nodded. The surrounding ground was stained dark brown, deep gashes zigzagged across the body, his face the only part of him that hadn’t been torn to pieces. “Must have hurt like a Mother”

“Yeah” He sighed and stood. “And left to rot. Maybe we should clear it with Carter to bury the ones we find. Give them some respect you know?”

“Agreed” He turned his head as he felt another presence join them. “Ok Harrington?”

The Navi nodded and ran his eyes over the corpse. “Thought I’d seen everything out on the front line but this is a massacre”

“A hunt” They all snapped their heads round at the approaching warrior. Ronon dipped his head in a small greeting. “This is what it was, a hunt. Entertainment”

“They’ve obviously never heard of cable” John smiled slightly as Chuck rolled his eyes at him. “Any ideas?”

The Satedan shook his head. “There are many isolated worlds, old tribes, but none who I can tie to this”

Mitchell nodded. “We’re talking about getting permission to bury the dead”

“Better to burn, release their souls”

John eyed him. “Ok, um makes sense I guess”

“It makes perfect sense” Chuck licked his lips. “Never liked the idea of being stuck in a hole when I go” He shivered. “Bugs”

The Pilot snorted. “I don’t think you’d notice Navi”

“We don’t know for sure” The younger man scowled at him. “And can we please decide rather than stand around and talk about it in front of..” He gestured with his head to the body. “..him. It’s weird”

“How very empathetic of you Harrington”

“Big word for a Pilot Mitchell”

“No fighting over the dead guys, its disrespectful” John grinned at them, Ronon’s lips twitching slightly. “I’ll radio Carter” He reached his hand up and jumped as the crackle sounded prematurely in his ear. Frowning he pressed his earpiece. “Sheppard”

“This is Ford, notifying all squads we have gate activity. Stay alert, make your way back”

“Yes Sir” He tapped his radio again. “We’ve got company, need to make our way back to the gate. Keep with me please Chuck”

“I’m aware of the protocol Colonel” The Navi frowned at him. 

“Should have left you with Lorne” John muttered before he raised a brow at Mitchell. 

“I’ll try to keep up with Chewie” The other Pilot watched the rapidly retreating back of the warrior. “Wish me luck” He rolled his eyes before loping off in the same direction.

Hefting his P90 John nodded towards the tree line. “We’ll keep under cover as much as we can Chuck. And I mean it”

“I know” The Navi rolled his eyes and fell into a run next to him. “I train, unlike some”

“Hey” He tried to keep his breathing steady, he did not want to be out of puff by the time he reached any potential engagement, and they were three klicks from the gate.

“I could so kick your arse”

“Sparring room?”

“Its a date” Chuck grinned at him and picked up his pace. John narrowed his gaze before concentrating on keeping up, and not falling over any inconvenient tree roots.

 

Rodney frowned at his screen. After getting a couple more hours sleep once his Pilot had left he’d then set to work on studying the Hybrid schematics in more detail and with slightly more awake eyes but now his attention had been caught by the tablet propped up to the side of his laptop. It had suddenly lit up, the programme that was quietly monitoring the city lazily scrolling data across the screen. He had nearly been convinced that the city was no longer interested in Anna, since the day he’d found her in the Viper it had seemingly been content to leave her be, just displaying the same old protocols that kept Atlantis hospitable to its residents. In fact he’d been contemplating shutting it down, especially with his Pilot’s threat of redirecting a lot of his work if he didn’t slow down but now it was displaying all kinds of new information.

Reaching for his pen he began to scribble down some notes, eyes never leaving the screen. His frown deepened. Without an in-depth study of the results he would so far be tempted to believe that the city itself had suddenly gotten a small power boost, and from an outside source. He peered closer. The atmospheric temperature had risen by a three degrees, four unused sectors of the city now appeared to have lighting and were slowly being filled with the fresh oxygen that was usually pumped through the inhabited parts, two of which were also being slowly drained of water. “Shit” He muttered. Closing down the Hybrid plans on his laptop he tapped into the Tech and Science’s system and the city’s quarantine alarm. Both appeared to have no idea what was going on. “What the fuck..?”

Zooming in on the sectors being drained he cursed again. “If this isn’t bloody Rayne I’ll eat my tablet” Clicking shut his laptop and gathering it under his arm along with the tablet that was still happily displaying all these exciting new developments Rodney stood and stalked out of his quarters, forcing himself not to run down the corridor to where his friend was supposed to be sleeping. “Mitchell’s gonna go fucking mad” Two of the personnel that were awaiting the all-clear to fly looked at him curiously. He glared at them. “Nothing to see” He picked up his pace ignoring their raised brows. As he approached her door it slid open silently, he rolled his eyes as he stepped through and glowered at her. “Show off”

“I am awesome” Anna smiled at him from her position on the floor. The sofa in the minuscule living area had been pushed back against the wall along with the low table and she was sat front and centre, legs crossed, hands resting gently on her knees.

“You’re not bloody awesome” He pointed at her with his spare hand. “Is this you?”

“Um, me?” She looked down at herself. “Last time I checked”

“Cut it out Rayne” He hissed. “You know what I mean”

“Really don’t sweetie” Another serene smile. “Come sit, relax, you look stressed. Can I pour you a coffee?”

Rodney peered at her. “Ok, who are you and what have you done with Anna Rayne?”

“Very funny” She rolled her eyes. “Come and sit”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Right fine, I’ll play along. Wheres the coffee?”

“In the pot”

Placing his computers on the floor Rodney strode into her bedroom towards the coffee pot, scowling as he grabbed it and began to pour a drink. He blinked, slowly he raised his head and looked around the room. Closing his eyes he swallowed. “Oh crap” The coffee poured over the mug and onto his hand. “Ow, crap!” Opening his eyes again he dumped everything back on the tray and blew over his fingers. “Bollocks”

“Are you ok hon?!”

He let out a breath. “Just spilled!” Taking a moment he then gently picked up his mug and inched his way cautiously out of the bedroom. Her eyes followed him until he was sat in front of her. Rodney licked his lips. “Um, so, in there…its uh, very nice”

Anna frowned. “I don’t understand” Her expression shifted to that of concern. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

He placed his mug on the floor and leant forward. “Anna, sweetheart, I love you, I really do but I’m a little freaked out right now”

“I love you too sweetie” She smiled and picked up her own drink. “What is bothering you?”

“Your bedroom, its uh, well, twinkling”

A brow was raised. “Twinkling?”

“Yes” He gathered himself, shot her a stern look. “No messing about Rayne, whats going on? It’s like stepping into deep space in there”

“Oh” She smiled. “Of course. Um, don’t worry it will fade”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Why is the city opening up new sectors unprompted, why does nobody else appeared to have noticed?”

“They will”

“And all hell will break loose when they do. Stop this”

“I can’t Rodney. Its not me. Atlantis wants to do it, has wanted to for so long. But it couldn’t. Didn’t have the power”

He eyed her. “And now it does?”

“Yes”

“Anna, what have you done?”

“I have made a deal”

“A deal?” He echoed. Rodney could feel the goosebumps raising on his skin.

“Yes, well if you want to be accurate I have reinstated an old agreement” She nodded and took a sip of coffee. 

“Will you please elaborate?” He glared at her.

“I have agreed to coexist with the city”

“What?” He winced at the squeak in his voice.

“All who posses the gene are descendants of the Ancients, the builders. When they fled to Earth those who didn’t ascend integrated themselves into our society, their DNA being passed though the generations. For some the line is stronger than others, many of the direct descendant’s lines faded out causing the gene to be watered down so to speak but those who did continue have the strongest ATA, I am one of them, as are you, and John. And he is rare, usually those who have as pure a gene as he does would be a Navigator. He’s very special”

“Great, he’s going to love that”

His friend quirked a smile at him. “Because of my Empathic ability, another attribute the Ancients passed on, I am able to form a nearly unbreakable connection to Atlantis. By working together I can access almost all of the systems, fly the Vipers and Jumpers, etc etc. It is something the original residents would have done unthinkingly on a daily basis”

“And your part of this deal?”

“I fly”

“Fly” He blinked at her.

“Yes, fly” Anna smiled. “If I could set up home in my Viper I would, its where I belong, where I feel safest, and strongest. It is also where I can do the most good, defend the city, my friends”

“But you’re doing that already” Rodney frowned. “I really don’t like the sound of this Anna, and you’re not yourself. You don’t sound right”

“The city is using our connection to enable it to open up the other sectors, what you are hearing is its echoes, a glimmer of our coexistence”

“You’re powering the city?”

“Um, kind of. It is more like I am easing its path to becoming more efficient, soothing over its sentient part. It is in pain, has been for so long now”

“This is way too weird. How the fuck are we going to explain this? The Techs…Mitchell” He scraped a hand through his hair. “Shit” He frowned. “Hang on, if this is all true why hasn’t Atlantis tried to ‘coexist’ with Teyla too? Isn’t she stronger than you?”

“Yes” Anna nodded. “And it did, but Teyla’s blocks are so unmoving that it couldn’t get through properly. It was only able to connect with me properly for the first time after Marshall died. I was too weak to keep anything out, and it helped me. Blocked the Empathic doctors, helped me rebuild”

“And pushed Steven to help Chuck?”

“That was me, but the city’s presence gave me a boost yes”

“And it was in your head, all that time?”

She shook her head. “Once I left so did it. On Athos I was all me I promise. When I returned it decided to step in again”

“To use you? Thats not right”

“No, to help me with…something. But well, we got talking..”

“You are so weird”

“Bite me” She stuck her tongue out. “And I decided that maybe it could work to both of our advantages. It will continue to help me and I will aid it to become what it once was. A beautiful home and a kick arse military base slash starship”

“You try to fly this city I will never speak to you again” Rodney scowled at her.

“That is not my place. It is saved for another”

“And that would be?”

“You probably don’t want to know”

“Fan-fucking-tastic” 

 

One hour later

Hank stood at the bottom of the steps and looked the people over who had just stepped though onto his city. “What is it with you lot and getting into fist fights? We give you guns for a reason”

Carter bit her lip. “Their weapons were primitive Sir, we thought it unsporting to just shoot them”

There were a couple of quiet snorts. He glared at them.”You’re all insane”

“Thank you Sir”

“Well, get on with it” He waved a hand vaguely.

“Three hours into our visit the gate activated and a group of people came through that Ronon identified as the Bola Kai” The leader of AR-1 unclipped her vest. “The Bola Kai are a race of barbaric warlike humans who are nomadic in nature. They are a collection of various tribes which are differentiated by the tattoo markings on their foreheads. Apparently they travel to other worlds taking the weaker by force and in certain cases use torture to extract information if they suspect the natives know something that could be of use to them”

“So we won’t be inviting them to dinner anytime soon?”

Carter grinned. “No Sir. Ro says the Bola Kai are known to leave little of their enemies once they are through with them. Once they have extracted all of the information they can from their prisoners, they are suspected of eating the bodies”

“Delightful. And they are the ones who attacked the planet?”

“Apparently not Sir” She shucked off her vest, dropping it at her feet before gesturing to the shabby collection of newcomers. “When Bayde and the small number of escapees dialled out they unfortunately ended up on a planet that had been recently invaded by the Bola Kai. Since then they have been guests of theirs, the tribe have been attempting to glean information from them about their home”

“And they eventually folded, giving the address” Hank raised a brow.

“Yes Sir” Carter nodded. “And I don’t blame them, the pain they were being put through was not worth defending a home which was already under attack. It was simply good fortune we were there when the Bola Kai decided to investigate, and bring their prisoners with them”

“I see” He shifted his gaze to the recently fallen leader of BDSM world. “And your original attackers?” Hank was met with silence. He sighed. “Carter?”

“The results of the experiments revolted Sir”

“Ah”

“Lies!” Bayde pointed to her. “That is not true, you can not know that!”

She raised a brow. “It was confirmed to me”

He whirled on his own kind. “Who?” He hissed. “Who dares to speak against me?” They stared back blankly at him.

“I believe you have lost your influence Lord Bayde” Hank smiled slightly at him. “You will answer our questions and then you will be given the choice. We always offer sanctuary to those who have suffered loss, or you may leave. Seek out another home. Of course we would insist you no longer attempt to make more of these Wraith”

The man gaped at him then appeared to gather himself. “I will not stay here, you are the reason this galaxy suffers, the pain it feels” He stuck out his chest. “The descendants of the Ancients are as cruel as their forefathers…”

“Oh for…” Hank gestured at Ronon. “Please shut him up” Bayde dropped mid-sentence. He nodded his thanks at the Satedan who wordlessly reholstered his weapon. “Now…”

“General!”

“Jesus Christ” He muttered, turning to see his least favourite person striding out of the open transporter towards him. “Dr Kavanagh I am a little busy..”

“Well, be prepared to be more so General” The Head Technician came to a stop mere inches from him. Hank clenched his jaw. “Something is happening to the city, something I did not initiate or give permission for it to be so. Just what the hell is going on?”

“I..what?” He frowned.

“The city Hank” Kavanagh leant forward, narrowed his gaze. “It’s opening up new sectors, the environment is being fucked with. Why? Who the hell is doing this? Who authorised it?!”

“No yelling in my ear!” Hank glared at him until the Tech backed off. Like hell he was giving way. “Now, explain, calmly, and without spitting in my eye” He tried to keep his face straight as there were some huffed laughs behind him.

Kavanagh shot a pointed look over his shoulder before fixing him once again with that stare that made Hank want to punch him in the face. Power drunk dick. The dick spoke. “Nearly two hours ago the city began adjusting its environmental settings, at the same time initiating the drainage of two sectors and the programme that makes it liveable here. I now have four more sectors up and running without anyone setting foot in them. And without any drain on the ZPM”

“Huh” 

“Huh!” The other man tried to glare him to death. “Huh! This is not good General!”

“Why?” Hank rocked back on his heels slightly.

“Why?!” Kavanagh’s voice was now dangerously high. 

“We haven’t lost any power, and we have more room” He waved a hand behind him. “Handy, as we have some new residents”

The Tech pinched the bridge of his nose. “How the hell are you in charge?”

“Uncalled for” Hank smiled at him. “But for your information I killed all my superiors”

“This needs investigating Hank”

“Then investigate away Peter” He raised a brow. “This is your department after all, as you insist on reminding me on a daily basis. Once I have dealt with this debrief I shall accompany Colonel Carter and Dr Zalenka down to your labs and we can go through this calmly and sensibly. As I see it we are in no immediate danger?”

“Well…no, but..”

“Excellent. Please inform me if we start sinking or something”

“I..”

“You’re dismissed Kavanagh”

“Dismissed?!”

“It means you can leave” He watched the quietly fuming man spin on his heels and retreat back to the transporter, and hopefully the darkest corner of the labs once more never to reemerge. 

“You know one day you’re going to push him too far” Carter raised a brow. 

“He’s already pushed me too far Sam. If it wasn’t for the inordinate amount of paperwork it would cause me I would have shot him years ago”

“So professional Sir”

“That is why I’m in charge Carter”

“Of course Sir”

 

John waited until the transporter doors closed behind Lieutenant Cadman, the last of the returning squadron to slip inside, then tapped his radio. Thankfully they had all been excused from the torture that would no doubt be the debrief and subsequent lab visit. Although seeing his CO piss off Kavanagh a bit more would have only brightened his day. There was the faint click of a connection in his ear. “Hey honey, I’m home” He smirked at Harrington who was pulling gagging faces, his Pilot grinning beside him.

“John? Are you with the others?”

He frowned. “Rodney? Whats wrong”

“Great” Muttered Mitchell beside him as the doors slid open again revealing their sector.

“Um, nothing. But you may want to bring everyone with you. I’m in Anna’s rooms”

“Of course you are” He sighed and disconnected the call. There went his plans for welcome home sex. “We’re meeting at your place Mitchell”

“Of course we are” The other Pilot rolled his eyes.

Caldwell snorted. “Welcome to Pilot/Navi everyday life. Never a dull moment”

“Bite me Sir”

“No thank you” Their team leader grinned at Mitchell before steering his Navi through the doors. “Can’t wait to see what they’ve cooked up this time”

“Are you some kind of masochist?”

“More like sadist” Mumbled Laura.

“Gross” Chuck wrinkled his nose.

“Agreed” John pulled a face, hanging back to allow Mitchell to open up his own living quarters. Well actually, John supposed, they were Anna’s but Cameron had pretty much taken up residence. He made a small ‘oof’ sound as he walked straight into the back of the aforementioned man. “You’re gonna have to go further in Mitchell, causing a traffic jam here”

“Bite me Shep” The other Pilot’s voice was a little distant, distracted but he took another couple of steps.

John suddenly realised what had brought his friend up short. He looked around him. “Well, thats new”

Mitchell folded his arms across his chest. “Anna Rayne, you are in so much trouble. Six hours I was gone, thats not even a full shift!”

“Don’t shout Cameron, you’ll spoil the mood”

John bit his lip to stop from laughing, met his Navi’s eyes. Rodney nodded, he seemed relaxed and all in one piece. He nodded back before turning to the young woman sat peacefully on the floor. “So, whats with the new decor babe?”

“Don’t encourage her Sheppard”

“Don’t be a stick in the mud Cameron” He grinned at his old friend and was unceremoniously flipped off.

“I was showing Rodney all the different stuff the city can do now”

“Um, now?”

“Yes, with its updates and stuff”

“You’re the reason Kavanagh’s having a melt down aren’t you” Mitchell sighed. “I knew it, somewhere I just knew it”

“It wasn’t me, Atlantis did it” Anna smiled serenely.

Her Pilot glared at her. “And this?” He gestured to the walls, ceiling and floor, all of which were projecting a slightly head-fucking display of deep space.

“All of the rooms can do this, it was used during their meditation. There is even a nursery setting”

“Nursery?” John looked around him again, wobbling slightly on his feet as space suddenly disappeared and the room was filled with soft green lighting that then changed to a deep purple, then blue. “Huh, like a giant nightlight”

“Umhmm. I like this one best” Anna smiled again.

“Um, I have a question” Lieutenant Cadman raised her hand. “Who’s they? And why do we need a nursery setting?”

“I don’t think I want to know the last one” Mitchell ran a hand through his hair. “Shit”

“Don’t panic Cameron, no one mentioned your name and babies in the same sentence”

“Anna please…”

“I mean, by the time I’m ready you’re gonna be really old”

“Hey!”

John exchanged a grin with Lorne.

“Your sperm will be on zimmer frames”

“Anna!” Mitchell was death glaring his Navi, who appeared not to notice.

“They’ll be wandering into a womb and forgetting what they went in there for”

John huffed a laugh. “Awesome”

“It is not awesome” Mitchell sighed. “Shut it off Princess, we need to talk”

“I like it”

“I mean it” John watched them stare at each other for a minute then the room went dark before the normal lighting was raised. “Better. Now Miss Rayne” A brow was raised. “Lets talk”

“I hate it when he says that”

 

Rodney sighed as his surroundings flickered and Pegasus spun slowly around him. “Will you stop doing that?”

His Pilot huffed a quiet laugh, joggling the Navi’s head that was leant on his bare chest. “I like it. It’s fun”

“You’re showing off”

“Perhaps” A warm hand slid up and down his side. 

“I’m worried, about Anna, about all this coexisting shit”

“I can’t see a problem baby. Apart from upgrading our living standards Atlantis has promised to leave Anna well alone, it’ll just be quietly keeping whatever it is that could compromise us safely locked away. And we now have a very powerful ally”

“It’s fucking with her mind”

“I think it was already pretty fucked”

Rodney raised his head and glared at John. “That is not funny. Or fair”

His Pilot eyed him for a second then nodded. “Ok, I’m sorry. It wasn’t” He stretched up and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I like Anna, you know I do. But you know what all good comic books and movies say? With great power..”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re such a closet nerd”

“A hot closet nerd” His Pilot settled back down on the pillow. “Anna has changed so much already. You must have seen how much happier she is, and she’s talking. Not just to you and Mitchell but to us too”

“I guess” Rodney blinked at the passing stars. Anna was right it was kind of mind-numbing.

John sighed under him. “What else baby? What is wrong?”

He shifted a little and the comforter was pulled up higher, arms sliding across his back to pull him in tighter. “The Techs are going to dig and dig at this. And that Kavanagh is like a dog with a bone, a really fucking annoying dog, one that would quite happily tear you limb from limb, one..”

“Ok baby, I get the picture”

“What if they look back, realise Anna was missing for two hours? What if they demand more testing, more invasive testing? What if Anna’s mind can’t handle the city, or whatever she’s hiding from herself breaks through?”

“This is why I worry about you baby. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack before you’re forty at this rate. Worry about the now. Deal with the shit currently stuck to your shoes. One step at a time ok?”

“John..”

“Rodney, this is not all your fight. She is not your responsibility. I’ll tell you exactly what I told Cameron a few days ago. Anna Rayne is a very smart, very capable young woman who, despite a couple of crises, has managed quite well up until now with only herself to rely on. Trust her, give her some room, help her if she asks until then believe she’s got everything under control”

The Navi suddenly got a strange feeling in his stomach. “And yet you ask me to back off my work”

“Thats because you’re different”

“I am?”

“Yes, you’re my Navi” The arms squeezed tighter briefly. “Mine”

The feeling eased slightly. “I am?”

“Yes”

 

Evan slid his arms round the Navi’s waist, pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. “Have you moved in baby?”

“Pretty much” 

He grinned into his skin. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking about these missing hours…”

“Chuck..”

“I mean, when they went over the Viper it should have displayed her entire flight path, tracked every second”

Evan propped his chin on Chuck’s shoulder and frowned into the night sky. They were stood at the narrow window in his…their quarters. “So…someone got rid of it?”

“Hid it?”

“Anna?”

“I don’t think so” The Navi sighed. “She’d be perfectly capable of it now but not then, not like that. She was a mess”

“Understandable” He licked his lips. “Could you? Or any of your old team?”

“I think I’m insulted”

“You know what I mean baby”

Chuck shook his head before turning, dislodging Evan from his prop. “I don’t think so. Maybe Marshall but, well obviously…” Evan quirked a small sad smile at his Navi. “Maybe Steven’s old Navi, she was pretty smart, but they wouldn’t have had chance, at least not without raising some serious questions. And I’m pretty sure we were all together right from docking until it was confirmed Anna was going to make it”

“And they checked Viper One straight away?”

The Navi nodded. “Yeah, well kind of”

Evan raised a brow. “Kind of?”

“I mean, they worked on Marshall for a bit just in case, then they had to safely extract Anna from the system, and then cut Marshall out” Chuck sighed. “But as soon as it was empty they would have swarmed it” 

“Anna was deep in the system, maybe she did do it? Doesn’t remember”

“Maybe” He sighed again.

“At risk of sounding like a complete asshole can I suggest something?”

Chuck narrowed his eyes. “Is this going to make me want to punch you in the face?”

“Possibly”

“Go for it”

Evan flipped him off then cleared his throat. “Leave it alone”

“What?”

“Leave it alone Navi. Haven’t we already learned that digging away at stuff can lead to finding out things you really don’t want to? I’m pretty sure Rayne is on our side, and she didn’t have to tell us anything today. Its a good sign of trust, she knows we won’t betray her, which means she feels the same for us. We’re a family now”

“Families have secrets, ones that can go back centuries”

“True” He smiled at the other man, stroked gently over his face. “On a lighter note, hows the jaw baby?”

“Aches but thankfully hasn’t swelled to the size of a watermelon” The Navi scowled. “No thanks to Sheppard”

“He couldn’t get to you in time Chuck, you know that” Evan raised a brow.

“So instead he yelled my name causing me to turn around and greet the insane tribesman’s fist head on? Idiot”

“You’d have taken that punch to the back of your neck if he hadn’t. It was meant to take you down Chuck”

“Your point?”

“My point is you will apologise for your hysterics and say thank you tomorrow”

“No way” His Navi went to move away.

Evan wrapped a hand round his wrist, halting his path. “Yes way. Its not Shep’s fault you only just got rid of your black eye, and appear to get beaten up on a scarily regular basis” Chuck narrowed his gaze. “And if you could possibly see your way to not getting beaten up for a while I’d be most grateful. It makes me feel weird”

The Navi rolled his eyes. “Stop guilt-tripping me”

“I mean it Chuck. I don’t like it”

He was eyed carefully then the other man nodded. “Ok. Next time I’ll totally hide behind a tree”

Evan snorted quietly. “Thank you” He tugged him in closer, brushing his lips gently over his Navi’s. “Shower?”

“Umhmm”

“Massage?”

“I’m never leaving”

 

Cameron tried to subtly look over his Navi, she seemed to be contentedly flicking through her tablet, humming quietly to herself. Thankfully Anna appeared to have lost interest in the exciting new lighting settings available in her quarters, he’d eventually had to sit down, the space one giving him the toe-curling feeling of free falling. Lowering his gaze again he stared unseeing at his own paperwork. Whilst his Navigator seemed to have no problem with the city effectively taking up residence in her head it was freaking him the fuck out. And he was worried, sometimes he felt like Anna had too much stuffed away in there as it was, this could be the step too far and if it forced this dreaded memory to the fore…

“Cameron?”

He shook himself from his slightly terrifying thoughts and raised his head again. “Yes Princess?”

Anna frowned. “Are you ok?”

“Of course baby girl, you?” He tried to keep his expression relaxed. 

“Well, my brain isn’t currently dribbling out my ears so I’m going to go with yes”

“Hilarious” Cameron rolled his eyes at her.

She returned the gesture. “I can feel your fear” His jaw twitched. Anna raised a brow. “And I’m not even trying. Also you usually sit with me” His Navi shot him a hurt look. “I’m no different from yesterday”

He sighed. “I know my Princess, I’m just…adjusting”

“Please don’t be afraid of me” Anna placed her tablet on the bed, tilted her head a little as if looking at something he couldn’t see. “Marshall was, even though he said he wasn’t”

The Pilot placed his papers back down. “He was?”

Anna nodded. “He tried not to be and I was grateful for that but it was always there. Maybe he was right, in a way he kind of predicted all this..” She waved a hand around her. “Insisted I train with Teyla, build up my defences”

“True” Cameron pushed up and went to pour them both a coffee. “And I’m glad he did. Is there any way the science team can trace this back to you?”

“No, because it wasn’t me. I keep saying that” She scowled at him before taking the proffered mug. “Thank you”

“Welcome” He carefully sat on the bed beside her, trying not to joggle the hot drinks. “Are you sure?”

“I may have mentioned a few more Vipers would come in handy” She smiled over the edge of her mug. “But no, it was all her..uh, the city” She frowned. “This is going to get very confusing”

“You find everything confusing baby girl”

“Hey!” Anna stuck her tongue out. “There’s a lot of information being processed when you’re an Empath I’ll have you know”

“Really, who knew” Cameron grinned at her narrowed gaze. “Seriously Anna, is this going to affect the flying, your everyday life?”

“Nope. The only difference is I know its there now” Her brow furrowed. “Do you think we should stop having sex? Is it weird? Do you think the city is watching?”

“Way to lower the tone Princess”

“Thanks”

“We’re not stopping. It’ll just have to deal with it, or close its eyes”

“You’re a little perverted”

“I know” He leant in for a quick kiss. “You too”

His Navi chewed her lip. “How was Steven today?”

Cameron frowned then remembered their conversation this morning. It felt like weeks ago. “As normal. Maybe a slightly lesser presence but we were split up, then there were the crazy aliens and then my crazy Navi”

“I prefer cutely quirky”

He snorted, his fears easing slightly. Anna was sounding more and more like her normal self, there had been little slips earlier in her speech and mannerisms that had revealed it wasn’t just her in there. Another thing that concerned him, whilst Anna had been blissfully ignorant of Atlantis’s presence she couldn’t reveal it but if she gave in to the temptation to exploit her new found partnership anyone who knew her as more than a passing acquaintance would easily pick up on the temporary changes. “You will leave this alone won’t you Navi?”

She smiled at him. “Of course Cameron”

The Pilot glared at her. “I mean it, no trying to placate me with empty promises baby”

“If only I could get away with that” Anna grinned before taking a sip of drink. “But I agree with you, when Teyla feels better I’m going to ask her to help me strengthen everything up a bit too. See if between us all the door can be more firmly locked”

“Very sensible Princess” Cameron drained his drink and placed it on the side. “I’m obviously a good influence”

“No, just a terrifying dictator”

“You’re scared of me?” He raised a brow.

His Navi snorted. “Only when we fly”

“Bite me baby, I’m an awesome Pilot”

“You’re a show-off” Anna released her now empty mug as he reached for it, placing it next to his. She curled into his side and yawned.

Cameron sighed. “You wasted your rest day my Princess. I think you should take tomorrow as downtime too”

“Downtime is boring” His Navi buried in closer.

He smiled, pulling her in closer before sliding them both down and catching the comforter with his feet. Eventually he’d have to get up again and strip off his clothing but for now the feeling of her relaxing in his arms was enough to make him deal with the inevitable overheating. “We’re not flying until the day after, lets see ok? Get some rest”

Anna yawned again and slid a hand up his tee, resting it gently on the centre of his chest while her legs wound round his own. “Ok Cameron”

“Good girl”

 

Laura shut down the movie that had been playing on the laptop with a sigh. Her Pilot had been requested to join General Landry and Colonel Carter for their tour of the newly opened sectors, including the two Viper Bays and had not been able to refuse. In a way she thought he’d actually been pretty excited to see the newly revealed craft, everyone had known they existed but there hadn’t been the resources to get rid of the water and start work on them. Steven had said they may still sit unused unless Landry could convince Dr Kavanagh to divert some of his workforce to it and from what the young marine had seen of the Head Tech that didn’t seem likely.

Padding through into the bathroom she thoughtfully brushed her teeth and washed her face, splashing cool water across her cheeks before lifting her head and staring at her tired reflection in the mirror. She sighed again and peered closer, Laura hadn’t let on but her Pilot had woken her this morning when he’d slipped from their quarters and she’d struggled to get back to sleep, wondering where he was until he’d silently slid back into bed over an hour later. That coupled with the very late night, the slightly disturbing trip off world and its finale of an exciting scuffle with a couple of very large hairy Kola Bai seemed to have taken its toll.

Tomorrow they were supposed to be escorting Bayde and his people back to their home to perform their native ceremony which would mark respect for their dead, and to burn the bodies. Laura stepped back into the bedroom, giving an involuntary shiver. The few they had found, and were still recognisable as human, spoke volumes about how much pain these people had suffered before finally passing on. She had most definitely seen worse but not for a long time, and not without a warm hard body to anchor herself against when sleep wouldn’t come. 

Laura eyed the empty bed, noting the way his pillows were already propped the way he liked them. She worried at her lip, the Navi was used to her Pilot being absent more than the others, they had undoubtedly partly been matched because of her independence in that respect but tonight she really could have done with his presence. Looking round the room she suddenly smiled before closing her eyes tight and concentrating, cracking one open about ten seconds later Laura smiled again and opened the other. The room was bathed in a soft blue light that was slowly but surely fading to a pretty purple. 

“Thank you” She murmured. For a moment she swore the light flickered and the room got warmer then it was gone just as quickly. Deciding that the fact she didn’t feel quite so alone anymore wasn’t freaking her out she slipped under the covers and grabbed one of his pillows, curling herself around it, arms holding it to her chest. Watching the wall that held the narrow window gently change colour, its tones showing even brighter on the glass, the Navi felt her eyes grow heavy. If her Pilot laughed he was so dead.

 

Steven stood a little apart from the rest of their small party, looking around him at the display of very dirty, still dripping, Vipers. His lips twitched, if they could get these flight worthy, recruit more Pilots and Navigators it may be the final push they needed to win this war once and for all. He reached out, traced his fingers through the grime on the wing of the nearest craft, rubbing it thoughtfully with his thumb. He was still trying to wrap his head around quite how Anna had managed this, what part she had played but he was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth and his trust in the Navi still stood firm.

She had seemed calm earlier and happily spoke about her experience, as if everyone knew how it felt to have a sentient city take up residence in their brain. Apart from the odd wording of a few of her sentences she had also appeared to be her old self and completely in control. If this arrangement was keeping Anna Rayne in the sky and sane then he had no problem with it, the only issue would be if she and Atlantis failed at keeping whatever this threat was locked away. He tapped the wing lost in thought until suddenly becoming aware of his name being called. Steven turned to find the General giving him a pointed look. “I said Colonel, do you think it is worth spreading some resources thin to get these things operational?”

He cleared his throat. “Sorry Sir, it’s a little…awesome”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Crazy Pilot. Well?”

Steven made his way back to them. “I would say yes. If we can man these craft we could have a constant presence in the sky rather than having to frequently break from not having enough Vipers and suitable pairings”

The General nodded. “As I said. We could shorten the runs too. Let up a bit on the exhausting schedule”

“Maybe on your schedule gentlemen” Kavanagh glared at them. “However you’re talking about tripling our workload, taking qualified personnel away from the currently active squads”

“Um actually..” They all turned to look at the slightly less superior tech who had been trailing around behind them. “..now the pairings have been completed we could spare a number of our team. Of course we may need to play it by ear when it comes to the engineers, their availability will vary depending on whether work needs to be done on any damaged returning Vipers but several techs all now have a lot lighter duties. Including myself”

“No one asked you Harrison” His superior narrowed his gaze.

“And yet he answered” Hank raised a brow. “Is this correct?”

“They will still have work to do in the labs” The Head Technician folded his arms across his chest. “And it is not Harrison’s place to say who or what is available to you”

“I’m sorry Sir” Harrison visible swallowed. “But I feel that we could do this. My workload is seriously depleted between pairings and a lot of it does not hold the same importance as this does”

“Sounds sensible to me Kavanagh” Steven raised a brow. “We get these in the sky this war’s end could be a whole lot closer. Surely that is what we’re all here for? What we’re all working towards?” He noted the small eye twitch with interest, perhaps Kavanagh was a little concerned about his future here if there were no more Krill. “You’re not telling me you’re trying to stretch it out any further? We have all lost many friends and colleagues over the years”

Another small twitch. “Of course Colonel” Dr Kavanagh rubbed the eye that had been twitching. “I’m sorry, the pairings are always a tiring time for us”

The General nodded. “We know Peter. So, what do you say? Lets try to work together on this ok?”

The Head Technician pulled himself up to his full height. “Of course. As Harrison has appeared to have volunteered himself then I shall leave it in his capable hands unless there are any hugely complex issues that present themselves. I shall provide him with a list of available personnel first thing in the morning” This time his jaw twitched. “Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to move onto the next issue that needs discussing”

“I just knew that was coming” Hank sighed and waved a hand. “Ok, go ahead”

“The reason we are standing here rather than swimming Hank” Kavanagh gestured around him. “All I can glean from the city’s records is that it’s power levels were momentarily boosted and they still have not fully dropped back down, there is no trace of a pinpointed source, outside or otherwise. I am concerned”

“Maybe Atlantis found a way to help itself? There have been a handful of slightly unusual events over the years Peter, all suggesting that the city is, in part, sentient”

“That has never been proved”

“But suspected and discussed enough for me to warrant it as a possibility Doctor”

“Um, unusual events?” Dr Harrison was looking between them. “Did I uh, miss those?”

“Possibly, how long have you been here?”

“Um, a little over three years Sir” The tech nodded slightly at the General.

“Hmm, it was more during the first of couple of years that we spent here” Landry raised a brow at Steven who nodded back. “Miraculous saves, the appearance of things that were needed…you get the idea. However that hasn’t happened for some time now. Perhaps the city used what extra power it had, or we have been exhausting it’s resources keeping the Vipers in the sky, fighting the war”

“This is all conjecture Hank, you know that” Kavanagh rolled his eyes. “But even if it were true why would it suddenly decide to do all this, and have the power to do it?”

“I’m afraid once again that is your department Peter. I will, however, be interested to see what you come up with” Hank smile serenely at him. “If you wish I am sure Colonel Carter and Dr Zalenka would be happy to help you during their time spent on the city. They are more than qualified”

Carter nodded. “Of course Sir, its definitely caught my curiosity”

“And mine” Her team mate took a look around the large, expansive room. “Very much so”

“They have spent too long away from the labs” Kavanagh waved a hand. “We will be quicker, and more efficient at working with the tech familiar to us”

“Is that so” Carter raised a rather pointed brow.

“Um..” Harrison bobbed nervously up and down again. “I, however, would be most grateful for any help. If you would not mind giving up some of your downtime to be here?”

The Colonel smiled at him. “It wouldn’t be a chore Dr Harrison, thank you. I look forward to getting my teeth into something other than angry alien natives”

Steven snorted quietly and went to wander off again, the rather awkward conversation seemingly over with.

“Colonel Caldwell..” He sighed and turned at Kavanagh’s voice. The Tech eyed him suspiciously. “I also want to discuss with you the apparent concealment of the discovery of the Hybrid”

“Excuse me?” He forced his expression to remain relaxed.

“Not only did you fail to inform us verbally on your return but it also took us nearly two hours to glean any kind of information from all four of the Vipers” The Tech’s jaw twitched again. “Hiding such vital data is a serious breach of the regulations, and the arrangement between our two departments”

“We were unsure of the wreckage’s origins, and were immediately called to an urgent briefing by General Landry. He is my CO, not you Kavanagh” Steven folded his arms across his chest. “As for your difficulty in searching the Viper’s databases it is not unheard of for there to be glitches in the system. And for the record I do not like the undertone of this particular line of questioning”

“Well I am sorry about your displeasure Colonel but you need to see this situation from our point of view. Squadron One may be an impressive crew but you have a very powerful Empath amongst you..”

“And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steven glared at the other man.

“Now gentlemen..”

“Was the Empath in all the other Vipers’s systems? Did she hide that information deliberately?”

“Dr Kavanagh you are now seriously stepping out of line, and right into my sights” He narrowed his gaze. “For starters ‘The Empath’ has a name and is also one of the best damn Navigators I have ever flown with. Anna would never compromise a mission, her team, or the war effort. You must know this as you let her in the sky again”

“Our testing only goes so far”

“And will continue to” He lowered his voice to a hiss. “I would say that you would have to go through me to get to her but Anna is quite capable of dealing with you herself. Leave her alone, unless you want to be dragged to the sparring room and…”

“Ok!” Hank cleared his throat. “I think thats quite enough. We are all tired and wound tight. Lets sleep on this, get some rest and then concentrate on getting our current squads in the air and these latest finds up and running”

“But Hank..”

“As Colonel Caldwell stated it is not unheard of for the Viper’s to have problems with their records. Rare, I’ll grant you, but not impossible. I would also warn you to think carefully on any accusations before you going throwing them about” He nodded definitely before turning his back to the Head Tech. “Lets go people. My bed is calling”

Falling in behind his CO Steven exited the room and made for the transporter, the Pilot/Navi accommodation was on a separate sector to the rest of the living quarters.

“Be careful Steven”

He looked over his shoulder at the murmured words. Hank was standing a few feet away, a strange look on his face. “It wasn’t Anna”

“I know. But all these little things could make Kavanagh’s threat very real”

He nodded, sighing quietly. “I know”

“Be careful”

“I will” Steven watched his old friend turn and disappear around the corner. Rolling his shoulders he took the last few steps towards the transporter doors and they slid open quietly at his approach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this one! It almost feels like it doesnt quite fit with the usual feel of this fic but I've rewritten and rewritten and have now admitted defeat :-( I hope those following the story will still continue to enjoy it. Thank you for your continued patience and for keeping on coming back to it xx


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1179.photobucket.com/user/kpurcell1/media/ban1-1.jpg.html)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually prefer to put these at the end but I wanted to put in a small warning about the Daddy Kink mentioned in the summary (written all those months ago!) It is really a mere mention but better to warn than be sorry. (Will be more explicit in the next instalment)
> 
> Whilst I'm here I want to apologise for the horrendously long wait for this chapter, I've taken on more working hours so I'm struggling a little with inspiration and time. Sorry x
> 
> AND there was supposed to be a lot of sex in this bit but it just wouldn't all fit in without making the chapter about twenty pages long, I promise lots in the grande finale (eek) I'm a little nervous about this one, I hope you enjoy and it isn't too long and rambly, and it managed to follow the storyline properly (the danger of being away from a fic for so long)
> 
> Thank you for your patience. Please comment either way, polite criticism is always welcomed ;-)

The next day

Evan revelled in the warmth of his Navi’s skin pressed into his, their legs entwined whilst the limbs slid up and down in an almost desperate running motion reflecting both mens desire. He could feel their hardened dicks rubbing together between them, the slick precum mixing and lubricating their stomachs and sex. Chuck’s hands slid down and groped at his arse, Evan returning the favour, helping him to press them impossibly closer, an unspoken need to merge together, reinforce the bond.

Like this all the Pilot could ever think of was how much he wanted this Navi, desired him, craved his touch and the sounds he made when Evan found another hot spot, the way his body trembled and arched into him. It was only afterwards that the panic set in at the intimacy of the bond already formed in their short time together, the niggling fear that one day it wouldn’t exist anymore, that one or both of them would be lost in battle or the day would come when it was time to walk away from the sky, the Vipers. But for now his head was filled with heat and want, and more, more, more.

Evan managed to position himself on top, mouths still locked together as he scrabbled for Chuck’s wrists, eventually finding and pinning them to the mattress above his head. He’d been wary of any display of strength or dominance in bed after learning of the Navi’s past but Chuck had been slowly reassuring him, urging Evan to act on his instinctual wants, promising this was different, and this was what kind of did it for him. There was a reaffirming moan that was lost in his mouth and the other man strained lightly in his grip before relaxing under him. There was another moan and strong thighs, that saw a lot of Bantos training and running, wrapped around the Pilot’s own, pulling Evan in closer.

The last of the doubt was forgotten in the haze of his Navi’s taste, his more than obvious lust for the current activities. Evan finally pulled his lips from the wonderfully warm and inviting mouth under his own and ran gentle kisses down Chuck’s neck, enjoying the way the younger man tipped his head to the side to expose more skin, before lightly tracing his tongue over the strangely inviting collarbone. The hands he’d had to relinquish his hold on as he’d slid downwards wound into Evan’s hair, a small pressure that made his skin goose bump. The Pilot bent his head and took one hard, dark nipple into his mouth and bit down, harder than he had done ever before. The fingers tightened.

“Shit” Groaned his Navi.

Evan gave a self-satisfied smile that was safely hidden from the other man’s gaze. He peppered kisses down his ribs, across his abs then followed that beautiful line that led to the defined V of his obliques. He moaned softly, could smell the arousal even better from this new position, the faint taste of their combined precum tingling on his lips and tongue. Chuck’s hips canted up to meet his advance, his erection pulsing lightly into open air.

He closed his mouth over the Navi. The other man’s back arched, his head thrown back to the pillows with eyes closed, lips parted slightly as he pushed himself further into Evan’s mouth. The Pilot opened up, let his newest obsession slide down his throat, fill him completely. He groaned around his length, at the taste of his skin, the salty precum, somehow managing to gather the liquid from the tip with his tongue before swallowing him down. He flicked over the already discovered sensitive spots.

“Evan..Pilot..” Chuck’s voice was horse. Evan’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sound of it. “Don’t stop..”

Evan had no intention of stopping. His hands grasped the Navi’s hips and made a small gesture to encourage him to thrust up into his mouth. Chuck’s body undulated, the Pilot could see his stomach tightening and loosening as he rhythmically fucked into his mouth and it was driving him insane. As he felt his lips brush the other man’s pelvis and his short hairs tickle his nose Evan gripped harder and held him there, tightening his throat around him again. 

“Jesus…fuck!” As a long term resident Chuck was well aware of the efficiency of the soundproofing but Evan was still fighting down the hot flush every time he met their neighbours in the corridor every morning. He shook the memory and swallowed. “Fuck!”

The Pilot could feel the dick in his mouth pulsating stronger and stronger now but he wasn’t ready for Chuck to cum yet. Fighting the desire to finish him like this, taste him once more, Evan pulled off and grasped the now very slick dick in his hand. There was another puffed out curse, this time quieter and perhaps a tad complainingly. He slid his loose grip up and down slowly, watching the manipulation of the foreskin, the way it twitched in his hold. The Navi whined quietly and squirmed on the mattress, hands still holding the bunched up sheet. Before he could open his eyes to glare at Evan the Pilot lowered his head again and slid his tongue teasingly over the Navi’s opening.

There was a hiss of breath from somewhere above him and the fingers returned to his hair. “Bastard” Muttered Chuck. Evan hummed quietly then went back to wetting him, tightening his tongue so he could fuck into him then flick against him. The beautiful breathless moans began to grow in volume and frequency again, hands pushing him in deeper, and Evan fought the desire to growl with pleasure. 

Once his Navi had reached a satisfactory state of mindless pleasure and Evan didn’t think his own dick could take much more he straightened up, kneeling between the other man’s open legs, his tongue darting over his lips as he waited for Chuck to focus back on him. As eyelids fluttered open and beautifully glazed ones met his own Evan smiled lazily. “Lube baby”

“Don’t bother..” The Navi’s voice was slurred, heavy with lust.

“You’ll need it” The Pilot picked up the surprise he’d been saving until he and his Navi were a little better acquainted and waved it at him, raising a brow.

Chuck blinked, eyes running over the sleek clear plastic vibrator. He licked his dry lips. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Perhaps” Evan tapped his knee with the toy. “Lube” 

A hand shot out to the side and scrabbled in the top drawer before pulling out a small bottle which was then unceremoniously thrown at Evan’s head. He grinned. “Temper. Otherwise I’ll leave you like this”

“Don’t you fucking dare” His Navi shot him a death glare that would outdo Landry’s. His legs parted a little more and he bit his lip. “Fuck me Pilot” Evan felt his balls jump. In retribution he took his time slicking up the smooth plastic, eyes never leaving Chuck’s face as the other man’s gaze followed his hands hungrily. There was a groan. “Ev..”

The Pilot didn’t bother replying, just ran the slick tip teasingly over his hole, pressing it lightly to his skin with never enough pressure to enter him. Evan kept his eyes on his Navi, their gazes locked as Chuck’s teeth dug deeper into his lip, the flush on his cheeks deepening, eyes both glazed and sparking bright. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything so beautiful. He pressed it inside, the tapered end disappearing with ease. The other man pressed back against it and his back arched again until his shoulders nearly left the bed. His eyes slid shut again. “Yes..” He breathed.

Evan pulled it out slowly then gently pushed back in again, letting an inch more disappear. His Navi seemed to be having no problems in accepting the toy and he vaguely wondered if perhaps the slightly terrifying looking larger model would have done a better job. He held it a third of the way in, stilling Chuck’s hips with his hand. “More baby?”

The man nodded vigorously, not even bothering with a witty remark this time. Despite Chuck’s obvious enjoyment Evan took his time just in case, watching his face carefully as centimetre by centimetre the vibrator disappeared until only the black base that controlled the vibrate function was visible. “Oh crap” His Navi’s eyes opened to reveal beautifully blown pupils. He licked his lips. “Kiss please” The Pilot smiled and leant down, careful not to put any further pressure on the end of the toy he was holding.

As their tongues mingled and pushed together and against one another Chuck began to roll under him, his hips lazily thrusting up and down against the vibrator then gathering strength and speed. Evan twisted it and pulled it back a few inches before twisting it again as he pushed back inside. His Navi growled into their kiss. Evan repeated his actions, this time further and harder, over and over again until he was steadily fucking into him letting the feel of the reaction of the body beneath him and the moans and kisses be his guides. Each time the vibrator went in to the hilt the Navi’s body would tremble, an unconscious shiver that was slowly tearing out Evan’s insides. Then the other mouth left his and Chuck buried his face in his neck, fingers digging into the Pilot’s shoulders. “No more Ev..please..I can’t..”

Evan trusted his Navi, and his Navi was experienced enough to know his own limits which meant that the teasing, the denying had to stop. He went to his knees, leaving the toy still but keeping it buried inside, as soon as he had a good balance, and a good view, the Pilot twisted the base. Forced away from Evan’s shoulders as he’d straightened Chuck’s hands had returned to the bed and as the toy performed it’s namesake his fingers bunched up fistfuls of cotton, practically his entire body leaving the bed. The Navi’s mouth opened but no sound came out and his eyes screwed shut. Evan kept the toy as deep as it would go, following the other man’s movements, keeping it steady and dealing out it’s relentless and tortuous pleasure. 

For moments that seemed to stretch into eternity Chuck hung like that, his hole convulsing around the toy, his mouth opened but still no sound escaping. The Pilot watched his Navi’s balls contract, pulling in tight as a stream of cum splattered across his stomach and chest, then another and another until his body was striped with his own release. Evan kept up his watchful gaze as Chuck’s breathing seemed to restart and then regulate, the vibrator still humming quietly and pushed deep. The man groaned quietly, started to writhe weakly around the toy as another, weaker, stream left him and ran down his side.

The Navi’s hips dropped back down to the bed, eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Evan moved the vibrator gently back and forth, teasing out the last of his orgasm, watching the last of his cum escape and coat the Pilot’s hand and Chuck’s balls. He leant down, gently, to his Navi’s stomach and licked the cum from his skin, gathering it into his mouth and savouring the taste. Keeping his movements deliberate Evan worked his way around Chuck’s body, cleaning him off slowly, still lightly working his prostate with the vibrator. As he reached the drop that had landed on the Navi’s neck Chuck twisted his head and stole a soft kiss. As they made out lazily he began to shake beneath him, Evan switched off the toy and gently drew it out, feeling the other man finally relax fully.

Rolling them both to their sides so he didn’t crush the recovering Navi Evan indulged in light kisses, eyes closed, fingers trailing over hot skin. For the first time in his sexually active life he didn’t feel an urgency to reach his own orgasm. The look on his Navi’s face would be satisfaction enough for a while. Kisses that only came with post-coital bliss were trailed up his throat and the Pilot slid his hands into the other mans hair, exposing more skin for him as he indulged in Evan’s taste and smell. “Ok baby?”

“Umhmm” Fingers wrapped loosely round Evan’s dick and his Navi wriggled closer. Slow jerking movements. He gently removed the wandering hand and Chuck raised his head to frown at him. 

He smiled contentedly. “You don’t have to Navi”

“But, I want to..?”

“I know. Later…I’m happy like this”

He was eyed suspiciously for a moment then Chuck nodded. “Ok…weirdo”

Evan rolled his eyes before tucking the other man back into him, the comforter left abandoned on the floor as the heat of their bodies slowly subsided. He was just sliding into a nicely dream-free sleep when he was jerked back to full consciousness by the alarm. There was a mumbled curse against his chest mirroring his own groan before Evan flung a hand out and knocked the snooze button. “Five minutes baby” He muttered. “Then we need to wash up”

Chuck stretched out and yawned. “Whose stupid idea was sex at five thirty in the morning?”

Evan grinned lazily. “Oh five hundred thirty”

“Civilian” His Navi scowled at him.

“We can’t all be kick arse military I guess” He pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. “And it was yours”

“Was not” The hand was pulled from his grasp and balled up into a fist, that was then punched playfully into his stomach. “And I’m more kick arse than you”

“We’ll see”

The Navi grinned at him. “I’ll beat your arse after I’ve finished with Sheppard’s”

Evan raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

“He took me up on my challenge” Chuck waggled his own brows.

“No breaking him baby” The Pilot sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “And no sneaky gropes”

“Spoil all my fun” His Navi stayed prone on the bed, sprawled out obscenely. 

“I think these sheets say otherwise” Evan grimaced a little as he unpeeled himself and stood.

“Gross” Chuck wrinkled his nose but didn’t move.

“Are you getting up?”

“Are you taking me somewhere nice?” A teasing smile played around the other man’s lips.

“Uh huh, BDSM world” Evan smirked at him and went in search of two towels.

“You take me to the nicest places Major Lorne” Chuck sat up and actually battered his lashes at him.

“That is the worst southern accent Navi, don’t you let Mitchell hear you do that” Evan hooked up another towel with his foot and snatched at it. “Come on, you owe me one remember?”

“You turned me down remember?” The Navi rolled his eyes but slid off the bed and straightened on vaguely shaky legs.

The Pilot eyed him. “You ok babe?”

“Uh huh. Will need sugar in my coffee today though”

“Or you could have a piece of fruit”

“Boring” Chuck padded over to him, Evan remaining where he was so as to make the most of the view. An arm slipped round his waist and a chaste kiss was pressed to his cheek. “Thank you”

“Welcome my Navi. Feel better?” He stepped away from the light hold and caught at Chuck’s hand, gently pulling him towards the bathroom. 

“Yeah. But today is probably going to undo all your hard work”

“We don’t have to go Chuck” Evan shot a concerned look over his shoulder before starting the water.

“I want to. After seeing them, what they went through, I want to pay my respects. And I want to be there for the rest of the squad. Bayde is tricky”

He felt his Navi step into the shower behind him and turned. “Yes, he is. I don’t think he’s staying though”

“Good” Chuck reached round to grab the shower gel. “Thinking about him down in the cells makes me feel…tense” He squirted some into his hands and began to thoughtfully soap up Evan’s chest.

The Pilot laced his fingers behind his head, allowing the firm strokes to run over his body and wash away the evidence of this mornings activities. “Why?” He tipped back his head and closed his eyes against the spray.

“I..I don’t know” There was a quiet sigh before the stroking moved down to Evan’s legs, massaging over tight calves. “I have a horrible feeling I’m picking it up from Rayne”

“You two are close” Evan kept his eyes shut, concentrated on the way the other man’s hands were running up his thighs.

“Umhmm. Rodney and Mitchell seem uneasy too. She’s always built deeper connections to those she cares about”

“So I’m obsolete?”

“No. Just new”

“So is Mitchell”

“But he’s her Pilot” A kiss was pressed to his stomach before sure fingers wrapped around his rapidly hardening dick. Evan made a small appreciative sound. “She’ll strengthen our squad, the bonds. She’s back on the path Marshall set her on”

“What did he have planned for Anna?” Evan tried to keep his train of thought coherent.

“To keep her in the sky, to fight the Krill, to be there and at the best she could be when it was the end”

“The last stand huh?”

“Something like that”

 

Dr Harrison fought the desire to shuffle from one foot to the other as he waited for the door in front of him to slide open. Now he had been placed in charge of the team focusing on the reactivation of the newly uncovered Vipers the Tech was not so closely monitored by his superiors and he had decided to take advantage of this by approaching the only person he could think of that would be capable of helping him, and may actually be willing to considering their connection to Miss Rayne. Perhaps he may have wished to wait a little longer but soon the man would be harder to steal a few minutes with, seeing as he was to be back in the sky tomorrow morning.

The door slid open quietly and Matthew looked up, resisting the urge to clear his throat nervously. Dark hazel eyes burned down into his.

“Yes?”

He self-consciously licked his lips. The Pilot was bare chested and in socked feet but that did nothing to deter from his presence, in fact it added to it in a strangely intimidating way. His dogtags glinted in the hall light, almost as blinding as those eyes. Matthew ended up clearing his throat anyway. “My name is Dr Harrison. I’m sorry to disturb you Colonel Sheppard but I was hoping to speak with Dr McKay before he left today”

The eyes narrowed. “And why would that be?”

The Tech swallowed. He had the sudden horrible feeling he’d maybe just interrupted something important, at the same time remembering just how protective Pilots were of their Navi’s. “Um…” He shot a quick look around him before lowering his voice. “It’s about Rayne..and Caldwell”

A brow rose but the man didn’t look any more pleased to see him. “Is that so?”

“Um, yes…if you don’t mind. It’s..well, its important” Matthew cleared his throat again. “Um, sorry”

“Miss Rayne is Colonel Mitchell’s Navigator. You need to speak to him. As for Caldwell he is our Squad Leader….” The Pilot took a step back.

“No wait..” He winced at his own tone, and the look he was given in return. “I really need to speak with your Navi Colonel Sheppard. He may be the only one that can help. And Mitchell…I don’t want him to react…” Matthew trailed off as he was eyed suspiciously. Then the other man sighed, ran a hand through his hair.

“Ok, ok. Don’t go sending yourself into a panic attack” A finger was aimed at his face. “You’ve got five minutes. Don’t fuck about. And this had better be good. Don’t take it personally but I’m not particularly fond of the Tech department you got me?”

Matthew nodded. “Understandable. I’m sorry for that too” He cautiously stepped forward as a space was made for him to enter the room behind the Pilot. “And thank you”

“Yeah, yeah. I will shoot you if this turns out to be bullshit. Or I think you’re digging”

“I have no doubt Colonel” He stepped inside and gave an inward sigh of relief as he spotted Dr McKay sat a small makeshift workstation quite clearly wrapped up in his own world, and fully dressed.

“Rodney..”

“Hmm..” The Navigator looked up vaguely. “Yes..”

“This is Dr Harrison. He needs to speak with you apparently. About our friends and colleagues” The Pilot moved further into the room to stand behind the other man, hands sliding deceptively casually into the pockets of his BDU pants. “He’s been promised a bullet if he starts fucking about”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Dr McKay rolled his eyes at the Colonel before suddenly fixing them on Matthew. “Well?”

“Ok” He fought the urge to hold his hands up in front of him in the face of their looks. “I know the flight teams don’t particularly like us, I know why. But we’re not all bad. It’s only under Kavanagh’s rule…” He swallowed at the Pilot’s narrowed gaze. “Right, rambling, sorry” Matthew sighed and pushed the hair away that was flopping in front of his eyes, he really needed to set aside some time to get it cut. “My point is most of us are half decent people, we care about the personnel we pair up and send out into deep space. I myself was part of the team that tested and monitored Sumner’s old squad, I was there when Anna limped back that Viper…”

“It was a sad time but its done, been dealt with..”

“I hid something” 

“What?!” Dr McKay glared at him, now fully turned in his chair to face him. “Like what?”

Matthew felt his cheeks flush. “The missing hours”

“I..what? How do you know about that?!”

“Rodney..” The Pilot had a hand waved at him. He frowned. “Be careful”

“He obviously already knows. You can shoot him once we find out whats going on”

“Um, actually I don’t think the shooting was a definite..” Matthew trailed off. “Right” He cleared his throat. “I was charged with sorting through her data files, the Viper systems, logs etc. She was gone for two hours, after the destruction of the Hybrid. There seemed to be nothing untoward, it looked like she just went for a relaxing stroll around space before heading home” 

“Really?” The Pilots brows raised again. 

“Really” Matthew nodded. “Thats why..well, I made the decision to wipe the data, her flight path. Just made it look like she’d hung there for a while, maybe veered off course a few times but never too far. Kavanagh was already after her even back then, without Marshall, with her squad crumbling, the trauma..I knew she wouldn’t be able to withstand his questioning or refuse any of his demands” 

“And thats why they never asked Anna about it? Why she was allowed to leave?”

“Pretty much” Matthew shrugged. “Of course O’Neill pulled some strings too, and Landry. But if Kavanagh had known about those missing hours they would have been hard pushed to keep her from his tests”

“Hammond would have had no choice but to sign off on it”

“Exactly”

Dr McKay looked thoughtful. “Huh, ok. So, that was a half decent thing you did. Why? And why are you telling us now?”

“I did it because as much as her Pilot didn’t like it we were friends, she is, or was, a friend and a kind person..”

“Is” McKay glared at him.

He nodded. “I haven’t spoken to her since two days before Marshall died, I wouldn’t know now. But I wanted to keep her safe and I don’t think my CO’s plans for her are a wise move, for Anna or the city”

“And they would be?” The Pilot was frowning again.

“I have no proof, I may be wrong…but I am 80% sure he wants her in the chair” He ran a hand through his hair again. “And something tells me a powerful Empath shouldn’t be sitting in it, if she should I think she would already be there. On her own terms”

“Agreed” Dr McKay nodded at him. “Anna has pretty much said the same thing”

“Good. As I say I could be wrong. But if its not that its something just as extreme, just as insane, and it will ultimately benefit Kavanagh and undoubtedly break Anna”

The Colonel growled quietly. “Break?”

“To control an Empath such as her, or even the Athosian, you have to go deep, too deep for the mind to cope with. Even Anna’s walls wouldn’t keep her safe”

“She’s better protected than you think”

“Probably. And stronger than she’s letting on I have no doubt” Matthew sank down onto the small couch, unaware of their rolled eyes. “I admit a part of this is selfish, saving my own career, reputation, after what I did but you can’t let him win this one. She’s good now but you take one link of the chain away, remove one brick from the wall..”

“Just what are you going on about now?”

He stared at his hands. “He’s going after Caldwell, O’Neill…Mitchell if he can. He’ll just keep chipping away until her circle is broken”

“Then he’s an idiot, the only thing he’ll get is a beating. Probably from Anna herself”

Matthew stood and sighed. “Don’t underestimate him, what he’s capable of. He’s gone from dogsbody to Head Technician in a scarily short amount of time. He’s not the smartest here but he is the most ambitious, the most driven, and he is quite happy to take anyone down that gets in his way”

“The stupid always are the most dangerous” Sheppard sighed too. “So, why Rodney?”

“He’s Anna’s friend, cares enough to help. And he’s smart, very much so. With only a short amount of time in the Viper he learnt how to hide data, fake corrupted files” Their mouths dropped open. He allowed himself a small smile. “Yeah, you hid the Hybrid from us for a little while. By the way I extended your breathing space by another hour”

“Well, fuck me”

“Rodney!”

They were glaring at each other now. Matthew cleared his throat, again. “I can’t go to Carter or Zalenka. They’re smart enough but I don’t know where their allegiances lie. But I do yours. You need to find out what Kavanagh is digging up on Caldwell and O’Neill, try to warn them or hide it. He takes them out it leaves your squadron and your Empath exposed. Also two good men who have sacrificed a lot over the years will have to wave goodbye to their careers and their service records”

“You really think he’s that influential?”

“Yes, I do. I work with him remember? I’ve seen what he can do”

“What about Landry?”

“He’s a hard hitter but he’d have to remain neutral if anything ever happened, he’s best keeping his command, trying to influence from the inside, keep things smoothed over”

“And he’s not at risk?”

“Not as far as I know. He pisses Kavanagh off deliberately but he’s not really standing in his way”

“This is a big ask Doc. And we’re back in the sky tomorrow”

“I know” He nodded resignedly. “Don’t act on it if you don’t want to, or if you can’t. I just wanted to warn you. There’s only so much I can sneak under the radar so to speak when working directly for the man. I have a little more room for manoeuvre now I’m on the newly uncovered Vipers but they will also take a lot of my time, even with Colonel Carter’s assistance”

“I’ll do what I can” Dr McKay raised a hand as his Pilot opened his mouth. “Luckily for you my workload can afford to get a little lighter with you guys taking over on the newest Vipers, just promise me you’ll look into shedding some extra milliseconds from the top speed by relocating the power source?”

“Huh” Matthew frowned. “An interesting concept. Forward me your data, I’ll happily continue it, in fact it would be an honour”

“Oh please..” Colonel Sheppard folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes.

“Hear that Pilot?” Dr McKay poked him in the side with his pen. “An honour”

“Shut up Navi”

Matthew bit his lip to stop from grinning. 

“If we find out any of this has become public knowledge…” The pen was now being waved in his direction.

“I know, I know…your Pilot will shoot me”

“Unoriginal but effective” Dr McKay smiled at him. “You concentrate on your Vipers, we’ll look after our people”

“I know you will” Matthew dipped his head briefly. “I’ll leave you to get ready. I hope today is…well..” He trailed off pathetically.

“Yeah, us too Doc” The Colonel moved forward to escort him to the door.

“And thank you”

“Don’t thank us yet Harrison”

 

MX4-972

He noted the way his guards shuffled their feet as she slipped up beside him, smiled slightly at nothing in particular as they very casually didn’t take a step closer but gently shifted their weapons in the light holds. He dipped his head briefly, eyes never leaving the burning pyres. “Anna…if that is your name”

“It is” His companion folded her arms across her chest as she followed his gaze. “Rule one of undercover ops….keep it simple”

“Hmm, less opportunity to say something in error”

“Pretty much” There was a quiet sigh. “I am sorry for your losses…despite everything”

“Your people would have come, attacked” He turned his head to take in her profile. “I am sorry you did not get the opportunity to deal out your own justice”

“We don’t attack with deadly force unless provoked, unless we are given no other option” She turned to face him and for a moment he swore her eyes reflected the stars but then the flames from the bodies were back, dancing over the stunning hazel. “We only would have wanted to help those people you were torturing”

“A strong term Anna”

“They weren’t exactly on a relaxing vacation in your cells Bayde”

“They were a part of the future Anna, they were contributing to a more powerful Pegasus, one that could defend itself from the Krill”

“Is that what they said, before you turned them into giant bugs?” An elegant brow was raised.

He tipped his head slightly to the side, matched her raised brow. “Feisty little thing aren’t you child? I almost feel pity for your Master” He resisted the temptation to turn and stare at the man who was watching them with a steady eye, the occasional twitch of his jaw the only thing belying his uneasiness with the scene before him. “And he appears to not like you speaking with me”

“He’s not my Master” She rolled her eyes. “He is my Pilot, and I have free will and I speak to who I want to speak to”

“With supervision”

“Bite me”

“I fear that would lead to violence, slave” He flashed her a smile.

“If you want to die here pissing me off is not the way to go about it. Personally I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to you next”

He snorted quietly and turned back to the water, the pyres now dangerously close to disappearing over the horizon. “My reign is over”

“We both know that this isn’t the end”

“Perhaps” He brushed a finger over her arm, the faint sound of weaponry being raised causing him to smile once more. “Tell me Anna, why are you over here? Why do you provoke your Master?”

“Look, for the last time he’s not…” She sighed. “Whatever. We’ll agree to disagree on that one” She turned to face him once more. “Are the Wraith real?”

He mirrored her actions, but his own brow furrowing as he met her curious gaze. “Of course my child, you think I would risk so much on a myth, a legend? The Wraith are real, or were. And they will come again”

“How do you know?”

“Because they are strong Anna, and wise, and they can withstand even the endless passage of time”

“So why try to make more, if you are so sure they can survive on their own?”

“I do not withstand time so well”

His interrogator eyed him thoughtfully. “You are afraid”

It was not a question but he answered anyway. “Yes”

“Let me help you with that”

The eyes boring into his darkened and Bayde swallowed, could feel every hair on his body raise with primal instinct as he stared into the never-ending black of space. “What are you?” He whispered.

 

Anna resettled on her cushion, the last of the usual dazedness after having another Empath wander round her headspace fading. She smiled up as Teyla handed her a mug of steaming tea. “Thank you Teyla. For both the tea and the reinforcements”

“You are welcome Anna” Her friend sat opposite her. “Your manners are improving under Colonel Mitchell’s command”

Don’t start Tey. Bayde made the mistake of referring to him as my Master earlier”

“And he paid for it” The Athosian raised an accusing brow. “I believe he was um…in need of a change of pants, yes?”

“Perhaps” Anna smirked into her tea.

“Anna, that is a misuse of your gift. You know this”

She rolled her eyes before looking up. “I just knocked down a few of his walls. He’s lucky I didn’t force him to confront his childhood too”

“Unnecessarily cruel”

“He will leave the city a better person, and a lessened threat”

“We do not make judgements Anna, it is not our place. We do not pry, we do not manipulate others minds”

“His actions led to the death of his people and he inflicted unimaginable pain on an unknown number of them over many years. There are also now a bunch of crazy angry bug people running around the Pegasus gate system thanks to him. And he should not have wound me up”

Her friend sighed and placed her own mug on the floor in front of her. “Your actions today could have drawn unwanted attention towards you and your heightened ability. Despite not picking anything up that could cause me to worry during our session I am still concerned. Usually you would not have acted this way. The Anna Rayne I know would not have let a stranger’s remarks push her so quickly into such an extreme attack” 

“It was not just his remarks Tey”

“I know” Teyla sighed again. “There is a part of you that feels a little unbalanced, unsure. This could complicate your progress”

“Teyla…”

“I have seen your mind today Anna, at least the part I was permitted to. Tell me the truth, please”

She took a steadying sip of tea before also relinquishing her mug. Digging into her BDU pants pocket Anna dug out a battered box of cigarettes and drew one out, leaving it hovering an inch from her mouth. “Do you mind Teyla?”

The woman smiled gently. “Of course not” She held out a hand. “Please”

Anna nodded and smiled, offering the open packet. “Of course. Its been a long time since we did this”

“You have been trying to stop”

“My last weakness” She lit up before handing her friend the lighter, watching the flames briefly illuminating Teyla’s face, accentuating her exotic features. 

Teyla took a long drag, they watched the smoke rise between them. “If you do not count your Pilot”

“He is not a weakness”

“You lie”

Anna glared at her through the haze. “Bite me”

Teyla grinned. “So Empath?”

She rolled her eyes but tried to focus her thoughts, fighting the never-ending desire to rub that spot on her chest. “I should be fine. I have found peace with Marshall, my secrets are out. Cameron is an ideal Pilot and I’m surrounded by good friends, old and new”

Fingers laced through her empty hand. “But?”

Anna licked her lips, took a pull, enjoyed the burning down her throat. “The bond with Atlantis, its making me stronger. I feel more confident in my abilities, almost invincible. This…concerns me”

“I agree. And it is good you worry” Teyla squeezed her hand. “As long as it bothers you it means you are in control, cautious”

She nodded and pulled her hand gently from the loose grip. “I feel restless. Like there is something I should be doing, or there is something important I am missing. And Steven…he’s still hiding”

“An unfortunate side effect of our gift Anna is that we can sometimes sense what others do not. Perhaps there is soon to be change, or others on the city are feeling uneasy at the recent revelations and you are picking up on it. The more powerful your ability the stronger your defences must be” Teyla smiled gently. “I too sometimes struggle to find contentment” Anna nodded and returned the smile. Her friend smoothed steady hands over her skirt, this one an almost chiffon material in pale pastel swirls. “As for Steven, we are all entitled to some secrets Anna. Has he changed in behaviour towards you, the squad?”

Anna shook her head.

“Then, for now, try not to dwell on it. Perhaps consider placing these feelings about him away, like we have practiced. I know you have managed to do this before”

She nodded, staring thoughtlessly at her burning cigarette.

“Anna?”

“Hmm?” She raised her gaze to meet her friend’s.

Teyla’s brow was furrowed. “There is something else?”

Anna took one last long drag before dropping the dog end into the cup of water between them that Teyla had fetched earlier. “No, apart from the restlessness. I am happy, even with the potential threat of this memory and the Krill” She tapped her lips thoughtfully. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just anxious about flying tomorrow, maybe the echoes of today, those poor people...”

“You love flying” Teyla examined her thoughtfully. “Although I too feel the effects of todays activities. That planet will hold those emotional echoes for many years to come”

“Oh yeah, won’t be vacationing there anytime soon”

Her friend gave a quiet, sad laugh. “Would you like me to help you? This time ignoring the city but clearing a path for you, easing your fears. You can get some rest?”

“No!”

Teyla’s brows shot up.

Anna cursed silently. “Sorry” She cleared her throat. “I just don’t think its a good idea having any more people in my mind. The meditation was fine, and I’m very grateful for your help, the door feels stronger and I know Atlantis is pleased but…well you know, two’s company, three’s a crowd”

“I do not know what this means Anna”

“Um, it means Cameron is already a little pissed there’s a city muscling in on our pairing” 

“Ah. I see” Teyla’s lips twitched. “If that is all…”

“Of course” Anna tried a reassuring smile.

“I hope so. For all of us” Her friend gave her a beautiful smile before going to her knees and leaning forward, gently resting her forehead upon Anna’s before pressing a gentle kiss to her hair. “I am proud to call you friend, honoured to fight by your side”

“As am I”

“You are never alone”

Anna snorted quietly. “Isn’t that kind of the problem?”

 

John dropped his water bottle back into his gym bag, straightening and pulling the sweat soaked vest away from his body whilst grimacing to himself. His Navi would be ordering him to the shower before he was allowed any form of contact when he got back home. He eyed his most recent opponent who was shedding his own vest and reaching for a clean hoody. They were now alone in the sparring room. He cleared his throat quietly. “Mitch?”

The other Pilot yanked his zip up halfway and raised a brow. “Yes?”

He raised both brows in reply. “All ok at home?”

His friend frowned. “Um, yes?”

John grinned. “Wife giving you grief?”

Mitchell flipped him off. “Hilarious. And no. And McKay is more of a wife than Anna ever will be”

“Not an insult Shaft” John pointed at himself. “Gay remember?”

“Yes, I remember” Mitchell rolled his eyes. “Terrible waste of what would have been an awesome wingman”

“You’ve never needed a wingman in your life Mitch” John rolled his eyes back. “So, the reason I nearly lost all feeling in both hands and the sight in my left eye this evening has nothing to do with your Navi’s latest revelations?”

“Nope” The other man hefted his bag over his shoulder. “You just suck at hand to hand” Mitchell grinned at him.

“Bullshit” John sighed. “You sure? Everything you know..” He waved a hand vaguely in the air.

“Everything is fine Shep” The other man glared at him. “The only thing freaking me out right now is that I appear to be in some sort of three-way with a crazy arse Navi slash Empath and an even crazier sentient alien city” The lights flicked around them. Mitchell flipped off the wall opposite. “Fuck off”

“Um..” John looked around him. “Are you talking to the city?”

“And?” The Pilot facing him narrowed his gaze.

“Right” He cleared his throat again. “Well, thats…new”

“She’s sentient Sheppard, she watches us, listens to us through the security feed, and she’s decided she likes Anna…a lot”

“Oh” He looked around him again. There were three cameras in this room, that they knew of. “Well, now I’m creeped out. Thanks”

“Think how I feel” Mitchell rolled his eyes again.

John snorted. “But apart from that…?”

“Good. I’m good. Fine”

“Very reassuring”

His friend sighed. “I just want to get tomorrow done. With Anna’s awareness of her new friend the connection between her and the city itself seems to be even stronger. I’m just wary of how it’ll affect us in the Viper”

John nodded. “Understandable. But I can’t see it being a major problem”

“They’re all connected John, the Vipers, Jumpers, Atlantis..and now Anna. If it goes well we could be faster, better…if it doesn’t we could be embedded into the side of an asteroid”

“Don’t worry” John grinned. “The rest of us aren’t that lucky”

Mitchell narrowed his gaze and pointed at him, whatever retort was coming next never spoken as the door slid open. They both turned in time to watch Lieutenant Cadman spot them and make her way over. Mitchell nodded a greeting. “All ok Laura?”

“Um yes” She briefly chewed her lip. “Do you mind if I speak to Sheppard a minute?”

“Sure” The other Pilot, to his credit, grabbed his bag without further question. “See you tomorrow morning, try not to kill him”

“Bite me Mitch” John waited until the door had closed behind him then raised a brow. “Are you here to kill me?”

“Um no” She licked her lips.

“And somehow I’m not reassured”

The young marine grinned briefly then gestured to the floor. “Do you mind?”

“Sure” He dropped down, stretching out his already tightening muscles. She sat opposite him, cross-legged, staring at the floor. “Whats up sweetheart?”

Laura looked up and cleared her throat quietly. “I need to tell you something, before we fly again. I’ve been thinking about what Anna and Steven said. How sharing anything that could hamper our pairings or our bonds should be aired out”

John frowned. “Ok, I’m pretty sure I’d remember if we’d had sex…”

She snorted. “And you so funny and charming”

He grinned, the nervous feeling in his stomach easing a little. If she was still prepared to laugh with him then it couldn’t be life altering shit about to go down. “So, what do we have in common Lieutenant Cadman?”

Laura lifted her chin slightly, giving her an almost determined look. “Captain James Whiting”

John opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again incase the bile rising from his stomach actually emptied out right here on the sparring room floor. He could suddenly feel the heat of the desert, its smell winding up his nostrils, the deafening sounds of chopper blades and gun fire unrelenting in his ears. He looked down at the man in his arms, the frightened look in those green eyes that had captured John the moment he’d seen them without the obligatory Raybans making his stomach twist with fear, he watched the blood seeping into his clothes…

“Sheppard? John? John?!” His eyes flew open and he pulled in a breath. Laura was looking at him cautiously, worry in her eyes but the hate or disgust he was expecting seemingly not there. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure how to..well, start”

“Right” He pulled in another shaky breath, chuckled darkly as he watched the tremor in hands start to fade. “Nice intro”

“I’m sorry”

John looked back up at her. “How?”

He watched her throat work as she swallowed. “We were..engaged”

“Shit” He ran hand over his face. “Shit” He felt his whole world shift as he took in this new piece of information. “Fuck, I am so sorry..”

“I know” She patted his hand. John fought the urge to burst into tears, could feel his throat close up. He’d gotten good at forgetting, but to be faced with this…Laura smiled gently. “I’m not here for an apology John. I’m just here to tell you who I am. To tell you I never blamed the squadron who risked their lives and careers to go in after him. Because I was military I understood, and eventually his family did too. They were angry but they forgave you some time ago. And you were supposed to have their thanks and their petition that you should be rewarded for your actions passed on to you”

He clenched his jaw, could feel it twitch. “Laura…”

“You can pass this on to Mitchell and Lorne too but I wanted to talk to you. As soon as you all started speaking about that day down in the chair room I knew. I couldn’t believe I was flying with the same men, the man who held James for his last breath..”

“Please don’t..” John whispered.

“You don’t get a choice..” She smiled sadly at him. “Was it him you were sleeping with?”

He met her gaze, tried to get his voice to work properly again. “Yes” She huffed a quiet laugh and nodded. He gave her a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. He never said…”

The young woman angrily brushed a tear away. “He never could keep it in his pants”

John snorted and blinked away his own tears. He cleared his throat. “Well, this is awkward” 

“Did you love him?”

He flinched a little. “I don’t really think…”

“Please?”

He forced himself to meet her eyes. “I could have done”

Laura smiled. “Thank you. For your honesty, and for taking care of him”

“Sucked at that”

“You didn’t know. You did what you thought was right, and you risked everything to fix it. Without you the others would have died too”

“Pretty sure it was our bombs that fucked things up in the first place” He sighed. The shock was wearing off now and he felt embarrassingly in need of a hug. And to not be facing this woman whose life he had royally screwed up on so many levels.

“And thats not why I’m here. You’ve made peace with that. It wasn’t your fault. Nor was the fact that my fiancee was a big man whore”

“He was a good man” 

“Yes, he was. I wouldn’t have put up with his cheating if not. And I was young and emotional, and difficult to handle”

“Was?” He attempted a watery smirk.

Laura flipped him off. “I’ve mellowed…”

“Wow”

“Bite me. And we weren’t right for each other. Doubt we would have lasted a year once we’d married and were forced to live with each other on a base but….I did love him. And I think he loved me in his own weird way”

John licked his lips before resuming eye contact. “What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing silly” She smiled again. “Just remember him. Accept it wasn’t your fault. Share some of your memories when you’re ready” He nodded as she stood. “And don’t forget this means Anna is right. We are all connected. We are all meant to be together. The squad’s shared pasts, all those tangled threads, they make us different than any other squad that has been before. We can win this war”

There was another quick, sad smile before he watched her quietly pad across the room and slip out of the door, the hairs all over his body pricking, causing him to shiver. Telling himself that it was merely the sweat cooling on his skin John Sheppard pushed himself up from the floor and grabbed his bag, he needed to go home, needed to find his Navi.

 

“Home already my Princess?” Cameron dropped his gym bag on the floor and ran his eyes over the Navi curled up against the pillows, book resting lazily on her knees.

“Umhmm” Anna smiled up at him. “Your lengthy lecture about getting an early night ringing in my ears”

“It was not lengthy” He shot her a reprimanding look before throwing himself down next to her, lips pressing briefly against her shoulder. “Everything ok with Teyla?”

“Uh huh” His Navi wriggled round to face him and wrinkled her nose. “Sheppard worked you hard then”

Cameron raised a brow. “I believe it was the other way round. And what are you implying?”

“That you smell bad” He was flashed a blinding smile.

“Its manly sweat” He smirked at her expression, slid a hand under his old Air Force tee she was wearing to caress her stomach. “And I happen to know you like that”

“Euw, do not” Cameron growled quietly as his hand was smacked away, Anna squirming out of his grip. “Go and have a shower Colonel Mitchell”

He narrowed his gaze then smiled slowly. “Join me baby girl”

His Navi eyed him suspiciously. “Is that a trick question?”

“It wasn’t a question, nor even a request” He rolled off the bed and snatched at her arm, dragging her up behind him. 

“Hey!” Anna pulled in his grip.

Cameron shot a warning look over his shoulder. “Don’t even think about using any of those fancy arse Athosian moves Navi” He pulled her into the small bathroom. “We’re back in the sky tomorrow”

“What does that have to do with anything?..Hey!” Anna glared at him from where he’d shoved her towards the shower.

“Turn the water on” He unzipped his hoody. “And take that tee off, I don’t want it getting wet” Shucking off his top Cameron raised his head back up to find her staring at him, a mixed expression of surprise and anger showing on her face. He stared cooly back at her. “I suggest you get a move on Anna”

The Navi blinked. “What the fuck?”

“Language my Princess” He kicked the sweats off over his feet before straightening and folding his arms across his chest, dogtags resting on them. “You’ve thrown me a lot of curve balls in the short time we’ve been paired Anna, I’ve been patient, I’ve tried to understand and you have rewarded me with your trust which I know is precious and I value so much more than you could realise. Now I need you to trust me again” He stepped closer and she stepped back, the back of her knees bumping the toilet seat, head tipped up so she could watch him warily. “I’ve indulged you so much whilst trying to help you that I think you’ve forgotten exactly how we are supposed to work” He watched as her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

“And how exactly is that Colonel?”

Cameron leant in, hands braced either side of her just like that first time she’d instinctively dropped to her knees for him. He placed his mouth against her ear, thickened his accent and dropped the pitch of his voice. “You do as you’re damn well told and in return you get what you want, what you need” He heard her swallow.

“And what is that?”

“Comfort, security, someone who gives enough of a shit to praise you when you do good, bollock you when you do bad. Someone who’ll get just as much pleasure from taking care of you as they do from fucking you” He smiled at her almost imperceptible twitch. “And believe me I love fucking you Navi, and lately you’ve been so open and responsive I’ve had a hard time keeping any kind of control…”

“Cameron..” Her breath ghosted over his shoulder.

“Be quiet” He removed one hand from the wall and slid it into her hair, loosely wrapping it around his fist. There was so much of it and it always felt like fucking silk. Cameron licked his lips, concentrated on keeping his voice even and low. “Trust me Anna, you need this, WE need this. To finish what we started on that first night. You have a city in your head along with a potentially world destroying secret. You’re going to need me, need us…I will take care of you, I will make sure that everything stays firmly locked away if you will only trust me enough to give that last little part of yourself over to me” He nipped gently at her neck. “I’m not going anywhere Anna, I promise. You’re mine and I’m going to take care of you, you’re so special my baby girl, let me in. All the way. All in Princess”

He counted silently in his head, kept his breathing steady. He had her boxed in but that didn’t mean jack when it came to his Navi, if he’d pushed it too far he’d be on his knees looking for his own balls before he could react. And be minus one very talented Navigator. He closed his eyes briefly in thanks as she nodded carefully, hair pulling tight in his grip for an all too brief moment. Cameron stepped back, keeping his hold on her. “Thank you Anna” He stared down into her eyes, grateful to see only the hypnotising flecks of gold in hazel. Bayde had been gibbering about endless black after his brief encounter with the young woman. It was probably a good idea not to piss off the powerful Empath at the moment. “Sit down”

Anna blinked slowly once then wordlessly lowered herself onto the closed toilet seat. Cameron stepped back towards her, partly to ease the tension on her hair, he wanted to use that later to full effect, and partly because now his dick was almost brushing her lips. “We’re going to start with one of your shit hot blow jobs my Princess. You’re going to happily take whatever I choose to give, you’re going to keep that pretty little throat of yours open wide for me and you’re not going to get a drop of cum on that tee. Do you understand?”

The Navi sighed quietly, the puff of air over his rapidly hardening dick making him clench his jaw against his already escalating desire. Her eyes remained fixed on some point between his crotch and abdominals. “Yes Cameron”

He tugged gently on her hair. “Try again baby girl” He stood there, looking down at the top of her head, feeling like the whole of Pegasus was waiting right along with him. This had to work, his Navi was so powerful now he needed to be in complete control but at the same time not quash her spirit, her beautiful dynamic, her annoying as fuck attitude. It took skill to find that balance and Cameron had been chosen for Anna because he was damn good at it, he just had to hope he wasn’t making his move too soon.

Anna gave a small shiver before meeting his gaze through her lashes. She blinked slowly, a small smile playing on her lips. “Yes Daddy”

 

Rodney threw the towel into the minuscule dirty wash hamper and snagged his now empty coffee mug before stepping back out into the bedroom. He’d grabbed a shower whilst his Pilot was working out with Mitchell, figuring he could get some work done during John’s wash up and leave time for an early night too. They were due in the Viper bay at 7am the next day and he was not a natural morning person. 

"I might have to insist that you greet me like this every time from now on baby,” 

“Shit!” He managed to somehow, quite impressively if he did say so, catch the mug he’d let go of in his surprise. He glowered at the man in the desk chair who was slowly taking in Rodney’s nakedness, the familiar and slightly annoying smirk on his lips. “Quit it” He really hoped he wasn’t blushing.

John looked up, slowly, and grinned wider. “No” He lowered his gaze again. Rodney swallowed, his Pilot looked...hungry.

"Don't get too used to it Colonel” Rodney rolled his eyes and reached for his sweatpants. “You caught me off guard. I do not walk around naked”

“I’d noticed Dr McKay. Damn shame” John winked at him. He flipped him off in reply. “And you’re getting very sure of yourself” A brow was raised.

“I think thats probably your fault” He pulled up his pants. 

“Probably” His Pilot widened his legs and crooked a finger. “Come here baby”

“You look sweaty” Rodney eyed him from across the room.

John sighed. “You know gym sweat is no different to fucking sweat”

“So charming” He rolled his eyes.

“Come here” His Pilot pointed between his own legs. “And this isn’t about sex”

“Really?”

“Really” The ravenous look had suddenly disappeared and John smiled at him, and Rodney thought it looked kind of sad.

“Is everything ok?” He made his way around he bed, watching the other man cautiously.

“Yes. I’m just a bit…thrown at the moment”

The Navi frowned as he came to a stop between his Pilot’s legs before kneeling to make eye contact. “Thrown?”

John sighed and leant forward, catching a stray drop of water that had run from Rodney’s hair. “The man who died in the desert?”

He nodded.

“I was regularly sharing a bed with him”

Rodney pushed away the sick feeling. This was a long time ago, the poor guy had died for fucks sake, and whilst protecting John. “Ok”

“I was gunning for something more, I thought he was too..” His Pilot trailed off, studied his now interlaced fingers. Rodney stayed quiet, chewing on his lip. Had the man miraculously come back to life or something, had his Pilot decided he’d never be able to get over it, was he going to be warning Rodney that once the flying was done that was it? A slightly calloused hand cupped his chin and he looked up again, trying to keep the panic from his eyes. “Its ok baby” A thumb rubbed over his jaw. “I just want to tell you because you’re a very important part of my life now, because we’re going to be sharing a lot over the next few months”

He nodded in the light hold.

“Lieutenant Cadman came to see me a little while ago”

Rodney tried to fit Laura into this confusing conversation and failed. “Um..?”

“That’s her connection to us, to me. She knew that man too”

“Oh” He frowned. “Brother?”

“Fiancé” The Navi felt his eyebrows shoot up then tried to talk them back down again. His Pilot snorted quietly. “Yeah me too Rodney. I had no idea. He’d never said..”

Rodney closed his eyes briefly. “I’m so sorry John..”

“Don’t be” The hand gripped a little harder and his Pilot pressed a kiss to his lips. “I just needed to tell you” He murmured.

He stayed silent, unsure of what his contribution should be past the contact John was obviously craving. Then the man sat back in his chair and looked down at him. “Obviously Mitch and Ev know about the relationship but not about Laura, and it’s not for us to say…”

Rodney nodded. “Of course”

“However there is no knowing what secrets Anna knows”

He huffed a laugh despite the sombre scene. “Everyone’s I expect, but she doesn’t tell. Not unless it threatens those she cares about”

His Pilot nodded. “I like that girl”

Rodney raised a brow. “You are gay right?”

John gave a half-hearted grin. “All the way baby” He rubbed his thumb thoughtfully over his own knee, something Rodney was beginning to suspect meant he was worried, or thinking something over. “But I do like her and you care about her, and I’m worried about our little talk with Harrison earlier”

The Navi nodded. “Me too. I’ve set up a silent running monitoring system on the programme that delivers and retrieves the data bursts from Earth. It will copy and encrypt them then send all of the data to me”

“Rodney..” His Pilot was frowning down at him. “Do you know what will happen if they pick that up, trace it to you?”

“I..”

“This is very different to playing with the Viper data recordings or surfing the city’s systems. You’re stealing highly classified military information”

“I know” He stood again, this time looking down at the other man. “They won’t detect it, I’m the best. And Atlantis will hide it for me too. If Kavanagh gains control of Anna, in any way, it won’t just be the Krill we have to worry about” Rodney waited, resisted the urge to twist his fingers around each other. It was all very well standing up to your Pilot but when they were right there in front of you, looking all dark and moody, rubbing their knee in that way they did...

“Ok”

“Um, pardon?”

His Pilot peered up at him. “Back down here Rodney” He knelt, eyes locked on the other mans. Today they looked kind of green…”Baby, focus” Rodney blinked, scowled at the smirk. John propped his elbows on his knees, bringing him closer to the Navi. “I agree, and I’m impressed, but you are very careful do you hear me?”

He nodded silently.

John ran a hand through his hair, sat back again. “We don’t tell anyone else. Harrison was right, Mitch will go nuts if he finds out and that will only lead to him being kicked off the program for beating the crap out of the Head Technician, and anyone else that gets in his way. It’s too big a risk for a hunch only. I think our best bet is O’Neill”

Rodney stared at him. “O’Neill?”

“Yes baby”

“As in Brigadier General O’Neill?” His Pilot’s lips twitched. Rodney glared at him. “As in the most respected yet batshit crazy guy in the entire Stargate programme?”

“I dare you to say that to him when you meet face to face”

Rodney closed his eyes. “Oh God”

“No really, he’d find it hilarious”

“Oh God”

“And I distinctly remember him saying to me, as we were lying in bed one night, ‘John, if you ever need anything you let me know’. And I’m pretty sure he meant it”

“Oh my God, you’re insane” Rodney opened his eyes and pointed at his Pilot. “And a little bit of a man whore”

Thank you baby” John grinned at him. “We can’t all be blushing virgins”

“Bite me”

“Maybe later” 

The Navi rolled his eyes. “You’re being serious?”

“Yes. Not only because he just might have the influence and connections we need but I also like the man and I won’t see his career destroyed and his reputation tarnished just because of this ambitious little fuck Kavanagh” His Pilot raised a brow. “Can you find a way for me to get a message to him without it having to go through the usual screening process, or encrypt it so it looks like something else?”

Rodney hesitated, ran several scenarios through his head whilst his Pilot waited patiently. After a few moments he nodded. “Yes, I can create an unique encryption programme. You would have to send O’Neill two messages, the first would install the programme as soon as he opened it, a little like a virus would embed itself into your home PC, and the second would hold your actual message. It will take me three or four weeks to get it absolutely secure though, especially as we’re flying too. If I was just dedicating my time to that..”

“Its fine Rodney” John smiled. “You’re so smart, you should never have been sent out to Athos”

“I did a lot of good out there” He frowned.

“I know. And I know Dixon and many of the marines owe their lives to your talents”

“Oh” Rodney blinked. “Right, well good”

“I spoke to Anna, or should I say she spoke to me” His Pilot gave that funny small smile again. “She made it quite clear that you were not to be underestimated or wrapped in cotton wool. And that you were pretty awesome and if I screwed up she would do something that I’m not even prepared to tell you because it gave me bad dreams for three nights in a row”

He tried not to laugh. “I love my friend”

“And she loves you” John brushed a finger over Rodney’s mouth. “Don’t blame her” He whispered.

He licked his suddenly dry lips, the tip of his tongue catching on the other mans skin. “John…”

“So..” He jumped at the sudden exclamation and was shot a bright smile. “Now we’ve got that out the way I’m grabbing a shower because there is definitely inappropriate touching happening tonight”

Rodney nearly fell back on his arse as his Pilot stood and he scrambled to his own feet, watching a little confusedly as John shed his tee before disappearing into the bathroom. “Um, ok” He muttered to himself.

“Maybe you’d like to join me baby!” John’s voice drifted from the bathroom as Rodney heard the water start. “I’ve got a couple of sore spots after Mitchell tried to end my existence in the sparring room!”

The Navi eyed his laptop regretfully, he should get started on the encryption programme and double check the others that were quietly working away but his Pilot did seem a little off. Thrown he’d said. Rodney thought it was more like shaken, and this man, the one who’d died, wasn’t around to answer John’s questions and that had to suck big time. He sighed and slid his sweats back down over his hips. 

 

Anna lay in silence, the heat of her Pilot pressed against her back and wrapped around her middle. Her body was still, face expressionless but her eyes were taking in the twinkling constellations of the Pegasus galaxy as they spun slowly around her. In her head she smiled, Cameron knew this was her favourite and the sight of the great expanse of their home swirling across every surface of this small space always relaxed her. He was as still and as silent as she was, knew that she wasn’t ready for the sensory overload that even a hushed conversation would bring at this moment.

Feeling herself take another baby step back to semi-awareness she shifted experimentally and the arms around her waist tightened instantly. She could practically hear his voice in her head ordering her to lie still, to take careful note of how her body felt, to make sure she understood what had just happened, why it had to happen and how she truly felt about it. He’d told her all those things at the beginning, before her world had altered, that she had to remember, had to take her time. 

She blinked as Surya floated leisurely by, the Lantean planet spinning gently on its axis, orbiting the flaming star. As Anna drifted gently towards full wakefulness she became aware of the fact that her throat hurt, and so did every muscle in her body. The throbbing between her legs became more insistent and she noticed the way her Pilot’s arm was rubbing painfully against irritated skin that lay just above her navel. Anna frowned, then her expression smoothed, a faint smile on her lips as she remembered the sucked up bruises that ran in a perfectly straight line down the front of her body. The first placed between her breasts, the last just above the mound of her sex. Once she’d zipped up her flight suit nobody would be any the wiser.

She licked her dry lips. Sex with her Pilot was always good, not that she was telling him that although the smug bastard probably knew well enough anyway, but this had been taken to another level. This had been a systematic attack on every last one of her boundaries, he had pushed her into her ‘highly uncomfortable zone’ and made her accept herself, and him, by cancelling out the negative thoughts and feelings that came with her innermost desires with murmured words of praise and mind blowing acts of pleasure. 

And now she was sore, in a most wonderful way, and she felt warm and safe and content. He’d even quieted the constant hum of Atlantis and that spot on her chest didn’t ache anymore. She vaguely wondered what the hell she would do when they stopped flying together and she’d have to begin the long and arduous task of finding another who was as skilled as he.

“Anna?” His voice was barely above a whisper, warm breath ghosting over her neck. She hummed quietly in response. “You’re overthinking again my Princess. Relax, for me” She pushed out thoughts of Cameron Mitchell leaving and tried to focus on the way she felt now. It must have worked because he made a small appreciative noise in the back of his throat. “Thats my girl. We’re going to get some sleep, be ready for the sky tomorrow. Tonight was to strengthen us, our bond. You have complete trust in me and I have complete trust in you. You are mine now, and I am yours. Do you understand?”

She managed a nod, her eyelids were dropping again. This time not because of some weird headspace thing but because she was truly exhausted.

“This isn’t going to change us Anna, only make us better at what we were doing before”

She nodded again, the stars were getting all blurry.

“Thank you Anna”

“S’ok C’mron”

There was a quiet chuckle, just on the edge of her hearing. “Sleep my baby girl”

Anna did as she was told. 

 

Five months later.

Steven swore as enemy fire shot down their side, causing the Viper to rock in it’s wake. Ever since they’d got back in the sky his squad had been encountering more and more Hybrids, it was like the fuckers were reproducing all on their own. His and the other Viper teams had gotten pretty good at taking them down now, between McKay, Harrison, Carter and Zalenka the craft were even faster, their manoeuvrability almost too quick for his Navi to handle and they had been tearing a nice hole in the Krill’s side but this day found them facing three down and if it wasn’t for their terrifying proximity to the city he’d have called a retreat already.

A screen suddenly opened to his left, a silent request from Wright, leader of Squad Two, to open comms. He didn’t bother with going through Laura, his Navi was deep in the Viper’s systems trying to evade the enemy’s fire and not have them spinning off into the wilds of space. He gave silent permission and a surprisingly calm voice sounded in his ear. 

“Sir?”

“Quick and quiet Wright” He grimaced as another volley of fire streaked past them. A bead of sweat ran down Laura’s face, her eyes showing rapid movement behind the squeezed shut lids.

“Permission to lose two Vipers Sir. They can be back in radio contact with Atlantis inside half an hour”

Steven’s jaw twitched. He’d had the same thought then brushed it away, they were barely hanging on with the numbers they had. And it would still take the back up teams nearly three hours to reach them. “I’d vetoed it Major”

“We can’t take out three Sir”

He ran his eyes back over his Navi, he guessed what he was seeing would be reflected in most of the Vipers out there. The Pilots would be getting worried and stressed, the Navigators would be getting tired, worn thin. “Recommend”

“Stackhouse and Markham Sir” The reply was instantaneous. “They’re good friends, a good team. And they’re quick, smart”

Laura moaned quietly, fingers flexing into the gel pads. 

“Do it”

“Yes Sir”

The connection was shut down. He immediately reopened it, this time a data burst only that would instantly reach every Navi and Pilot out there. ‘Viper Seven and Nine dropping out. Redirect and distract’ Before he’d even had time to close his screen the other craft began to subtly shift, their courses weaving between each other to disguise the departure of the two Vipers. “Good luck” He murmured before turning back to the task of not getting his arse blown up.

 

“Cameron?”

He opened his eyes, slightly surprised at the sight opposite him. Anna had been coping better than the rest of them with the long hours and exhaustingly frequent combat situations, her connection to Atlantis and the strength of her Empathic mind carrying her through but lately even she had looked tired. Now though she seemed relaxed, calm, her eyes smiling into his. He frowned. “Anna, whats wrong?”

“We won’t last until the back up comes”

“We will Princess. But it would help if you were actually concentrating on your job” 

“I am” 

He studied his screens, they were indeed quite effectively evading the shots being thrown at them and their flight path was clear and smooth. This was not right, his girl should be deep in the Viper, unable to communicate verbally. “Shit. Anna what are you doing?”

“Using my back up” She tapped the side of her head.

Cameron hissed quietly. “That is against the rules Anna and you know it, the risk of the Techs picking up on your mind squatter is too much”

“She doesn’t like it when you call her that Pilot”

He narrowed his gaze. “She can kiss my arse. And disconnect her from my ship”

“No”

“Anna, I’m getting seriously p…”

“I can keep us safe but not the others Cameron. Even I’m not that good, even with the city’s help”

The Pilot felt his jaw twitch, took a breath. “Ok, explain for me”

She sighed quietly. “I can save us but not the others. And we can’t hold off three Hybrids. I’ve run the predictions, they will reach the city in two hours, even now they are slowly pushing us back”

“When the hell did you run predictions?!”

“A moment ago” A screen opened up in front of him. “I have sent them to our squadron only”

He ran his eyes over the data. “Shit” He was surprised Caldwell wasn’t yelling in his ear by now. “Then we pull back, use our speed to reach Atlantis first. They’ll be hearing from Markham and Stackhouse soon, the other squads will be getting into the sky anyway”

“We can’t outrun them Cameron. And the city isn’t ready to defend herself from these. We could lose everything, our friends, our home, each other…and the newest squads will drop like flies..”

“So, what are you saying baby girl?” His eyes flickered to the counter on Anna’s screen. It was down to one hour and forty eight minutes.

“We get close and I do what I did before”

He frowned. “What?”

“You get me close enough I can get into their systems, tear them apart. I know how I did it the last time, and now I’m stronger, more focused”

Cameron growled quietly. “No”

“Its the only way”

“No it fucking isn’t”

“Look at your readouts Pilot, or better still look out the window. This is it”

He swallowed, fuck he needed a drink, a large alcoholic one, hold the ice. He’d been promising himself he was taking his Navi to the nearest bar as soon as downtime started for weeks now.

“Cameron..” He refocused on her. “I won’t do it if you say no, and you mean it”

He looked at her, the battle raging on around them going unnoticed. She was so beautiful and she was all his, and he knew he’d been falling for months now, and for a brief moment he wanted to tell her to keep herself alive, to screw the others and they’d walk away and be together. And then he felt sick because he remembered his friends, pretty much family now, and the love and loyalty that flowed almost seamlessly between them all. He saw the way John looked at Rodney and remembered how Chuck had punched an overzealous Tech in the face when Evan had come back hurt a few weeks ago, how the whispers of a shadow that always hung around Steven faded away when Laura smiled at him…the poker and movie nights, the special ops trips to that observation room for beers and chips…and the arguments, and the tears, and the laughter. He closed his eyes. “Shit” He breathed.

“I’ll come back Cameron”

“It broke you last time my Princess” He opened them again to look at her. “I can’t lose you”

“You won’t” She smiled serenely. “It was different last time, I was hurt and angry. I had nothing to come back for. This time I do”

“You promise me?”

“I promise” She nodded.

“I will be so angry Anna..”

“I know”

Cameron let out a puff of air. “Ok. Just let me get some back up on this” His Navi nodded again and a new screen unfolded showing an open comm to all Vipers. He rolled his eyes before clearing his throat. “This is Viper Two, we’re moving in. I’d be very grateful if you could cover my arse, and clear us a path”

“Mitchell, what the fuck..?”

“Trust me Sir. And read your damn emails” He cut the connection and steadfastly ignored the requests to reopen it. He groaned quietly. “I am so fired” His Navi giggled quietly. Cameron rolled his eyes. “So, lets at least get fired in a blaze of glory eh baby?”

Anna smiled lazily at him. “Yes Sir”

 

John concentrated on blowing up the annoying laser cannon thing that kept trying to make him dead before returning to his conversation. “So, why am I covering Mitchell’s arse again Sir?”

“Cause he and that damn Empath of his are fucking maniacs. And they are so fired!”

He snorted over the radio.

“Its not fucking funny Sheppard!”

“Have I got his six or not Caldwell?”

“Of course you bloody have! I want him alive when I fire him!”

“Awesome” Muttered John before reaching out to stroke over his Navi’s mind. “You hear that baby?”

“Uh huh. And they may be maniacs but they’re right” Rodney’s voice soothed over his frayed nerves. “We can’t last much longer, and the risk of them reaching the city is very real”

“What do you think they’re doing?”

“I think Anna is going to perform her party trick”

“Well…shit”

“Once she’s in the Hybrid their Viper will be vulnerable”

He sighed. “Of course it will be” John rolled his head against the back of his chair, these things were only comfy for the first ten hours or so. “Ok Dr McKay, lets go do our thing yeah?”

“It will be my pleasure Colonel Sheppard” 

His Navi sank back into the systems and he felt his craft shift into another gear beneath him. John smiled and let his mind guide him, Mitchell may have the Empath but John had a fucking genius. 

 

Anna tore through the second ship, brief flashes of running Krill appearing in front of her eyes before disappearing into a burst of light. The woman in white stood firm at the forefront of her mind, leaving her usual post to keep Anna grounded, a guiding light not letting her stray from her path and ready to bring her home when their work was done. Anna felt her axis shift. “This one is close”

“I agree. Leave it now” Atlantis nodded. “We could leave the third to the Vipers”

“Boring”

“It will lessen the effect on you physically”

“I will survive. I could not be so sure of my friends chances out there in a pitched battle”

The other woman tilted her head slightly. “Your Pilot is trying to call you back. He is concerned. Your vitals must be dropping”

“I feel fine” Anna metaphorically shrugged.

“You will here. Perhaps not when you wake”

“But I will wake?”

The city sighed. “Yes, you will”

“Then we move on”

“I suggest we make this one quick, as you would say. You must return soon”

Anna nodded. “Very well. Lets go straight to the heart of the matter shall we?”

Atlantis smiled. “Ladies first”

 

Four hours later

John braced one foot against the bottom step of Viper Two as he took the weight, which wasn’t much, of the unconscious Anna as Mitchell passed her out. He curled her in tighter to his body as he stepped back to allow the other Pilot to exit the craft. His Navi appeared by his side, stroked a light touch down her arm. “Anna?”

“She’s crashed baby” John smiled at him. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine”

Rodney frowned. “You can’t know that”

“Mitch said her vitals levelled, and she’s warm and breathing steady” He nodded at his hovering friend. “Here Mitch, before you tear my arms off”

The other man flipped him off before reaching out and practically snatching her from him. “I’m taking her straight to the infirmary Shep, I don’t want the Techs getting a hold of her first” He nodded his understanding. Mitchell looked down at his sleeping Navi, licked his lips. “Let Caldwell know as soon as he docks”

Viper One had been knocked by some shrapnel during the destruction of the third Hybrid and it’s crew were taking it easy on the flight home. “Sure. I’ll hold off Kavanagh and his cronies for as long as possible. They’ll want to see her at some point though. And they’ll have questions for what happened out there”

“Caldwell briefed our fellow squads. No one will talk until he’s back. Including you” 

“We’ll deal Cam” The sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears. “Go, now” Turning his back on the rapidly disappearing Colonel Mitchell he squared his shoulders and planted a slightly confused look on his face. His Navi snorted quietly beside him. “Hey, looking like I have no idea what is going on is my speciality”

“I’d noticed”

“Be quiet baby” He nodded at the man striding towards them and raised his voice. “Dr Kavanagh, Viper Two and Three are locked down and ready for your inspection”

“Where are Mitchell and Rayne?” The Head Technician frowned, eyes suddenly darting up just in time to catch the aforementioned slipping through the doors of the bay. “What…?”

“Miss Rayne felt a little faint. Colonel Mitchell has taken her for a checkup in the infirmary as there were no Techs available when we disembarked”

Kavanagh’s eyes narrowed. “I want your debrief now”

“I apologise Dr Kavanagh but Colonel Caldwell has given orders for us to wait until he arrives back in Atlantis. No one is to debrief until he is present”

The man’s eyes blazed for a moment and he opened his mouth then snapped it shut again, a slow smile growing over his face. John got that feeling he always did when the little blip of an enemy craft showed up on his radar. The Head Technician nodded. “Very well. Lets see what the esteemed Colonel Caldwell has to say when he finally graces us with his presence shall we?” He spun on his heels, head turning slightly so he could address the Pilot and Navi over his shoulder. “You’re dismissed. Go check on your fainting Empath”

They watched him make his way over to Viper Three. John felt Rodney shift beside him. “Why do I get a bad feeling about this Colonel Sheppard?”

“Because you’re a genius Dr McKay” The Pilot ran a hand through his hair. “I’m staying here, I don’t trust that fucking idiot” He turned to his Navi. “I’m worried we haven’t heard from O’Neill, its been a month since we sent that message” Rodney nodded silently. “I want you to clear all of your programmes baby, wipe the data off your devices. Just leave a bit of porn and some spiel about the city and the Viper’s to be found. We don’t want you to look too squeaky clean”

“You think its that bad?”

“I think he should be jumping up and down and yelling at us by now. He’s up to something” He gave the other man’s arm a brief comforting squeeze. “When you’ve done that you go to the infirmary, warn Mitch, watch Anna. Nothing is said over the comms”

“Of course” His Navi nodded again. “What about Evan and Chuck?”

“They’re babysitting Viper One. I’m afraid they’re going to walk into whatever shit is going to go down. But they’re smart, hopefully they’ll keep their mouths shut. And we’re the only ones who knew about Harrison’s warning”

“What about him?”

“He’s on his own for now. We clean up for him later once we know exactly whats going on. Hopefully all the focus will be on us for a while, once they discover the multiple Hybrids and their proximity to the city, and Kavanagh has revealed whatever surprise he’s got for Steven”

Rodney chewed his lip. “Ok..be careful” 

“I will” He smiled at him, despite the situation. His Navi always looked adorable when he did that.

The adorable one rolled his eyes. “And quit looking at me like that” John grinned. Rodney rolled his eyes again. “Idiot. And try not to punch Kavanagh”

“Spoil all my fun baby”

“Yeah, yeah”

 

Four days later.

Anna cracked her eyes open and hissed at the shot of pain behind them. The light was too bright and everything was so loud, she moaned quietly, immediately regretting it. There were hushed voices that were still too loud but she gave a mumbled ‘thanks’ as the light was suddenly dimmed. A warm hand rested over hers and Anna licked her dry lips, tried to swallow without any saliva to sooth her burning throat. “C’mron” She heard herself whimper at the pain of trying to use her vocal chords.

The voices faded to one. “Anna?” It didn’t sound like her Pilot. She tried to push down the panic. What was happening, one minute she’d been quite happily tearing apart the third Hive then…nothing. She frantically searched her memory, looked for the woman in white. There was nothing, she was on her own, and completely ignorant of her current situation. Had they been attacked, had they failed, was she a prisoner? “Anna, it’s Rodney. You need to calm down. It’s fine, you’ve just been sleeping hon. Can you hear me?”

She attempted a nod and a small tear escaped the corner of her eye.

“Try not to move, they’re adding morphine into your drip. You’re going to feel a little battered for a while but theres no permanent damage”

Why wasn’t her Pilot telling her this? Where was he? God, if she’d lost him…and it would be all her fault…again. “C’mron?”

“He’s safe sweetheart, he just can’t be here right now. But believe me he wanted to be”

The Navi cracked her eyes open a little further. Rodney and Chuck were stood by the side of her bed, their outlines blurry but familiar. The medical staff seemed to have disappeared, for now at least. “W’t happen’d?”

“Later Rayne. You need to rest”

“Now, Harrin’on” Something still wasn’t right. Where were the others? She tried to read her bedside companions but the effort of reaching her mind out made her whole body scream. “Shit” Another few tears ran down her cheeks.

“Yeah, trying to read us, serves you right. Idiot”

“Shut up Chuck”

“She’s still Anna Rodney. Which means she can take it”

Anna raised a half hearted middle finger. There was a loud snort of laughter which made her flinch. 

“Nice one”

“Bite me McKay”

She licked her lips again and concentrated on not crying as she pushed out a few more words. “Tell me now, or ‘m gon’a kick your ‘rse….even’ually” There was a few seconds silence. And the morphine must already be kicking in because they were now almost totally in focus. “Now” She tried to look stern but was pretty sure she’d failed, epically.

“Look, she won’t rest until we tell her”

“She’s not ready”

“She’s a big girl McKay”

“No, it’ll be too much”

“She’s tough, annoying but tough..”

“She is sitting right here” Anna coughed and looked pointedly at the plastic cup of water with a straw bobbing up and down in it.

The two men exchanged looks then Rodney shrugged, reaching for the drink. “Fine, but if you relapse I’m blaming you and Chuck”

“Deal” She caught the straw in her mouth and took a cautious sip. She winced again, even water hurt. Taking another she waved her hand weakly to signal they should get the fuck on with it.

Rodney sighed and took the chair nearest her, Chuck staying upright, eyes occasionally darting to the closed curtain around her bed. The sitting Navi laced his fingers together and leant his elbows on his knees, leaning forward slightly. “The battle with the Hybrids was four days ago..” Anna stared at him. “Yeah, we were getting a bit worried about you actually. You’re in the Empath wing, don’t worry, no one has tried to read you nor have any tests been performed. Cameron’s orders, and Landry’s. Kavanagh’s pissed but not as much as he should be”

She raised a brow. “Ok”

“The reason he’s not as pissed is because he’s won a small victory this time..”

“Spit it out Rodney”

“Shut up Anna” He glared at her. “When Caldwell docked after the battle he was immediately taken into custody..”

“What?! Ow!” She clasped her throat. Shit, that hurt.

Chuck pointed at her, peering out of the curtain briefly. “What did McKay say? Listen, and keep quiet. We don’t want Keller and her crack team running in here in a panic”

She flipped him off again but stayed silent.

“Thank you” Rodney rolled his eyes. “He’s been taken in for questioning, suspected of stealing and selling on top secret data and technological finds from the programme”

“Bullshit” She croaked. 

“Maybe”

“Maybe? Fuck off Rodney”

“They wouldn’t have done this without some serious evidence Anna, they’ve taken in O’Neill too”

Anna closed her eyes. “No” She whispered. She could feel the bottom falling out of her world.

“Just keep calm Rayne. Listen to McKay”

She opened her eyes, refocused on Chuck. “He wouldn’t, they wouldn’t…” She trailed off, Steven had been hiding something, he’d come back to the programme…why? And O’Neill had been an encourager in that decision too. But then where did the thrown dogtags fit in? And that haunted look he sometimes wore that you didn’t need to be an Empath to spot?

“Anna, stay with us ok? We’re going to need you on the ball”

She nodded at her friend. “Sure, sure..I’m sorry”

“Its ok, we’ve had a bit longer than you to deal with it” Chuck nodded at her. “You ever pick up anything…?” Anna looked at him silently. He sighed. “Great, you did. Shit”

“A secret, that was all” She took another sip of the proffered water. “And never a hint of anything like this”

“Right, and I kind of agree with you” Rodney leant closer and lowered his voice. “I’ve been monitoring everything coming in and out of the city for nearly five months now, data and finds” He held out a finger as she went to interrupt. “John and I were warned that Kavanagh was gunning for Caldwell and O’Neill, our informer suspected it was to get to you. Take away those who have been keeping you out of his clutches, and his lab. We’ve been watching everything Anna, and I mean everything, and not one thing has caused us to be suspicious. We even contacted O’Neill, never got a reply”

“You hid this from me?”

“It was safer hon, you couldn’t know, and neither could your over-protective Pilot. If you’d lost Cameron because he lost his temper Kavanagh could well have got to you” Rodney rubbed a hand over his face and she suddenly noticed how tired he looked.

“Sweetie, you look like shit” Anna frowned. “I’m still mad at you but..is everything ok? You know, apart from our squad being taken down one by one by a crazed genius”

Chuck rolled his eyes. Rodney scowled at her. “He is not a genius. I am a genius”

“Ok by a crazed kinda intelligent person?”

“This is not funny Anna”

“Its either this or embarrassingly burst into tears Rodney” God she wanted her Pilot, everything was being shaken up and turned upside down, and he’d made himself the centre point of her world, her stabilising axis. Bastard.

“Ok, ok. I’m sorry” Her friend held her hand gently. “I’m sorry. We’re going to be ok…probably”

“Gee thanks” Anna swallowed and sniffed, then nodded. “Ok, go on”

“Colonel Ellis has stepped in at the mountain whilst O’Neill is being investigated. Two days ago he personally came through the gate to speak to Landry. When he left he took John, Ev and Cameron with him. They’re needed to give evidence to the board. Even though they won’t spend that much time being interviewed they need to be readily available if called upon. If any points need to be collaborated or new information is uncovered. They should be back in three days. We promised Cam we wouldn’t leave you unguarded”

“He left” She whispered. He’d just…walked away. When she was sick, and stuff was happening. Scary, shitty stuff.

“He didn’t want to hon” Chuck smiled at her from his look-out position. “Shep and Ev had to talk him round. They didn’t want him in trouble too, it could end up with him being suspended or thrown off the Vipers. He accepted their point eventually but he wasn’t happy about it, and made us and Landry promise that we’d stick to your side like glue”

“Ok” Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. Her pounding head had only been dulled by the morphine. Then she looked up and frowned. “Laura?”

“Confined to quarters and suspended from duty” Rodney shrugged. “Don’t think they suspect she was involved but its protocol. Pilot and Navi relationships rarely harbour secrets”

“We tried to get in to see her, she’s really upset…and pissed. But it was a no go”

“Shit” 

“Theres something else too”

“Seriously?” Anna looked up into two very serious sets of eyes. “Oh, really seriously?”

Chuck nodded sadly. “The long range scanners picked up three more Hybrids. They were four days out from the city, and headed on a direct intercept course”

“Were?”

“That was two days ago”

“You’re shitting me?”

They both shook their heads. Chuck left his post and came to stand beside Rodney. “Landry has sent word to the mountain to prepare for a possible evac. But the gate currently doesn’t have enough power to open for more than four minutes. An hour after the scanners picked up the Hybrids Atlantis suffered a severe drop in power, they went dead along with the newly opened Viper Bay and our shielding and cloaking capabilities. We think the drain on the city is connected to you”

Anna closed her eyes and nodded. “I can’t see her anymore, I think she’s left my head” She dropped her face into her hands. “Its my fault”

“No..”

“Yes, I shouldn’t have pushed so hard”

“You saved every single Viper out there Anna, you were right, we never would have withstood their continued assault and they would have reached the city”

“At least then I’d have been abel to connect with her, we could have defended the city”

“No, you said so yourself. It wouldn’t have just been our last mission hon, this run has drained all of us. We’re exhausted, I think even the Vipers themselves are looking forward to downtime” There was a quiet sigh. “Come out of there will you?”

She shook her head. How could she have been so stupid?

“Sweetheart, this is not your fault. And we will find a way, we always do” She peeked at Rodney through her fingers. “For fuck’s sake Empath, come out from there”

Anna raised her head. “What are we going to do?”

“Get you back up to speed. Keep Kavanagh off your arse so Mitchell isn’t on mine…although…” Chuck grinned at her.

“Don’t even think about it Harrington”

He grinned. “Don’t worry, he’s a little bossy, even for me”

“You’re both so disturbed”

They grinned at Rodney who glared back. “We can’t do anything except try to help our family. And we do that best by returning Anna to her former glory and making sure Kavanagh is kept away from all of us. And that means sticking together and being sensible. No show downs, no tantrums, no wandering down to the labs alone…ok?”

“Yes Dad” Anna smiled half-heartedly at his rude hand gesture. “Go get some rest guys. And call Keller in. I feel ready”

They eyed her. “Sure?”

“Yes” Now she rolled her eyes. “As an Empath I’m not going to be much use to anyone for the next twelve hours or so anyway, and Kavanagh will know that. And you guys operate better on sleep than caffeine so go…bugger off”

“Anna..”

“And thank you. I love you ok?”

“Love you too babe” Chuck leant down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And expect Tey and Ro at some point once word gets out you’re awake. They only left a few hours ago”

Anna smiled a genuine smile. “How is she?”

“Blooming, and looking as elegant and beautiful as ever, smug bitch”

“Dare you to say it to her face Harrington”

“She’s pregnant”

“She’ll still kick your arse” Anna frowned. “Hey, she didn’t try to…”

“Nope. Ro has definitely put his foot down with the mind probing thing. He was worried about the effects, especially as we didn’t know quite what you were going to wake up like”

Anna leant back against her pillows. “Good. I love Ro”

“You love your morphine”

“I miss Cameron”

“I know sweetheart” Rodney bestowed his own kiss on her. “He won’t be gone long. And we’ll be back in four hours or so”

“Eight”

“Four”

“Eight”

“Four”

“You both suck at negotiating”

 

Anna slipped round the corner of the dimly, and thankfully empty, corridor. She’d woken in the darkened infirmary half an hour ago still feeling a little beaten up but also desperately hungry and thirsty, which told her she was already on the mend. Curious as to why she hadn’t seen anyone who could possibly satisfy these cravings after twenty minutes or so she’d gingerly slid out of bed and gone on the hunt for the skeleton team that ran the nightshift. It had turned out she was completely alone. Guessing there’d been some kind of medical emergency, and not quite ready to test out her Empathic side yet, Anna had then padded cautiously out into the city, keeping a careful watch for any Techs whilst making her way down here.

The mess was open twenty-four hours. Atlantis didn’t ever completely stop and there were always hungry Techs working into the night, returning off-world teams and Viper squadrons on call to feed and water. She wandered up to the counter, eyes widening in surprise as she spotted who was manning it, seemingly alone. He gave her a lopsided grin. “I’m pretty sure you should be in bed Miss Rayne”

She stuck her tongue out. “Hungry, and thirsty and the med team have found someone more sick than me” She eyed him. “I didn’t think Mrs Lenny liked you working nights?”

“Less of the cheek girl” He disappeared for a moment and she could hear him rifling around below the counter. Then he was back. “Otherwise you wont get any of this apple pie I made today”

“Hmm, pie” She smiled up at him. “Is there ice-cream?”

“As long as you’re not going to vomit it all back up again”

“Never, that would be a terrible waste of pie” Anna grinned at him. 

“Well, you better get your arse in a chair and eat up before they realise you’re missing. Don’t want any rampaging sec teams in my mess”

She offered him a lazy salute and plonked herself down in the nearest chair, briefly checking it was hidden from the entrance before doing so. As the pie was placed gently in front of her Anna smiled up at her old friend again. “Thanks Lenny, really”

“Yeah, yeah. You enjoy, thats all the thanks I need”

Five minutes later she cleaned the last of the ice-cream off with her finger and stood. “Sorry to eat and run but I really will be in trouble..”

Lenny nodded as he stood from the chair opposite hers and picked up her empty plate. “I understand. It was nice to see you Anna…” He trailed off and looked at the plate in his hand.

She frowned. “Is everything ok?”

He gave a small smile. “Yes, yes..I think, it was right…”

Anna grabbed the back of her chair as everything blurred for a minute. “Um, Len. What…shit” She shook her head but her world wouldn’t stop being all spinny and fuzzy. “What have you done?” She whispered.

“I’m sorry Anna, but the Hybrids are coming…” She had to go to her knees, tried to crawl towards the door. “…you can save us, he said so. But you won’t do it..I have a family Anna…” Oh God, he’d drugged her! Was she going to die, she didn’t think Lenny was a killer but then she never thought he’d give her doctored pie either. “..this is right. You can stop them. I won’t let my children..my wife..”

His ramblings faded out but she could still see the light from the corridor coming in through the entrance way. Anna tried not to sob in panic and took another shaky shuffle towards her only escape route, maybe someone would see her, hear him, then a shadow moved to block out the light, his silhouette halting her path, she murmured her Pilot’s name then her world went black…


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](http://s1179.photobucket.com/user/kpurcell1/media/ban1-1.jpg.html)

Anna kept her eyes closed, stealing a last few precious moments of warmth, the stillness, the silence a brief luxury. The surface beneath her shifted slightly and a warm hand slid up and over her hip bone, coming to a stop splayed out over her stomach. 

There was a faint puff of breath over her ear. “Hey Princess”

Her lips twitched but she remained in darkness. He hadn’t called her that for a long time. “Pilot..”

The body next to hers moulded itself to her back. “Try again…”

She raised a brow but kept her eyes shut, fighting down the suddenly threatening grin. “Hello…Daddy” There was a low deep hum and Anna bit her lip, wiggled against him.

He groaned quietly, the hand on her skin pressing her in tighter to him, his hardening dick rocking slowly against her thigh. “Still so good…”

Reaching up with one hand Anna slid her fingers into his hair, the other still buried under her pillow. Keeping her eyes closed she hummed appreciatively as he pressed kisses over her now exposed neck before leaning over, tugging her down so he could run his tongue over the swell of her breasts. Anna licked her lips. “Do we have time?”

He roughly grazed his teeth over her nipple before gently blowing cool air over it, raising goosebumps of pleasure across the sensitive skin. “All the time in the world baby girl…”

 

Anna smiled as she felt him stir slightly, a softly whispered “Oh” reaching her ears as he seemingly worked out what had woken him. She slid warm, soft hands across his thighs before moving up and over his hips in a slow caress. This had always been his preferred way to wake up in the mornings but it had been a long time since she had been able to indulge him, now it was her final gift to him before the chaos returned. 

The sheets rumpled her hair and left goosebumps on her skin in their wake as they were pushed down so he could watch her. Anna continued to touch him, eyes lowered, pressing her hands to the inside of his thighs, gently urging them apart, still stroking his skin. “Princess?”

She smiled up at him. “One last taste…Daddy?”

A brow was raised, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “Not too tired baby girl?” Despite his voiced concerns he was completely hard, his dick jutting out eagerly, apparently getting with the programme way before his brain had woken up.

“Uh uh” Anna shook her head, hair bouncing round her face and between his legs. Her body ached wonderfully and the long forgotten feeling of being stripped bare and rebuilt by his touch alone was still echoing nicely through her veins. Their love was enough to drive them on through everyday life now but it was still sometimes nice to remember and indulge in the chemistry, the dynamic mesh that had brought them, perhaps fatefully, together all those years ago. She slid down and stretched out on the bed, his dick twitching in front of her in anticipation but Anna simply pressed her lips to his thigh. Soft kisses working their way up until she knew he could feel warm breath and the tickle of her hair on his balls.

"Yes" He murmured, then her mouth closed over his dick. “Hmm” He leant back on his arms, she watched him watching his dick sliding past her lips and into her mouth, making sure it was all wet heat and firm pressure as she sucked, slow, deliberate movements drawing curls of pleasure from deep within. His eyes slid shut.

Anna moved her mouth to his balls, a sharp hiss as his soaked dick hit cool air and he thunked his head back on the pillows, then small pants coming out of his mouth as she tenderly sucked one, then the other. She could tell he was forcing his hips to stay flat on the bed, grinning briefly she ran her tongue up the underside of his dick. “Fuck” He groaned and twisted his hips, pushing against her mouth. Anna gave a quiet laugh and licked the head. Her Daddy’s hips jerked. “Baby..”

She grazed her teeth over his stomach, sucked on his hipbone, did everything except touch his dick. He fisted the sheets…”Shit”. Her mouth engulfed him again and she nearly got lost in his taste, the way her Daddy was hardening in her mouth but she pulled back, wanting to prolong, the baby girl side of her wanting to tease. Her tongue sneaked out to get a taste of the inside of his thigh. "Damn it Anna” 

She gave a small laugh and her fingers lightly stroked the tip of his cock. He growled quietly. “Enough Princess” She flicked her tongue over him, collecting the beads of pre-cum, humming with pleasure. “Anna….”

“Let me..please” She encouraged his legs up until they were bent at the knee. 

There was a resigned huff above her. “Make it good baby girl”

“Always Daddy” She murmured, and then her tongue was running up between his arse, pushing in.

He always made wonderful noises when she was allowed to do this for him, they wound their way round her heart and travelled throughout her body, leaving her warm on the inside…and very wet. She moaned quietly against his skin as the tendrils of pleasure started to curl inwards. She could see his hands scrunch the sheets again, knew he was itching to just bring himself off right the fuck now. Anna indulged in one last taste before wrapping her mouth round his cock, there was no way he was cumming anywhere other than in her throat, and then his heels were digging into the bed, fighting the need to just thrust. Anna closed her eyes, focused on the just out of reach orgasm that was building nicely, that she knew would spiral her down into absolute bliss before tugging on his hips, giving him permission and her Daddy reached down, hands grasping into her hair, muttered cursing as the first stream hit the back of her throat and he began to thrust….

 

He moaned quietly, encouraging her back into a kiss that was a little less chaste than the one she’d offered, arms pulling her closer. As a hand buried in her hair and his tongue slipped over hers Anna hummed quietly, wondering how long they had until the hot water ran out. Then he was pulling away, keeping one hand on her arm in case she still felt light-headed, her Daddy would know how much strain he had put on her in the last twelve hours or so. “Are you ok to move about alone?”

“Daddy..”

“Baby..” Another brow raise.

Anna sighed and nodded. “Yes, fine. I shall bring us some coffee”

“No” He cupped her chin and tipped her face to his. “Back to bed for you..” She opened her mouth to reply but he cut her off. “..I mean it my Princess, you will need to rest after last night and this morning. And it won’t be long until we are back on duty” He grinned and winked at her. “Mummy”

She flipped him off. “Disturbing”

He snorted. “Go and get comfy, I’ll wash up and bring breakfast back here. We both need to work on getting back to ourselves too”

She eyed him then decided it was best to not argue over this one, and now the last effects of her latest climax were falling away she was feeling a little tired. “Ok”

“Ok” He frowned slightly. “Are you sure you’re ok Anna?”

“Yes” She sighed quietly, fingering her collar before reaching for a towel. It would have to come off soon.“You don’t regret…do you?”

Daddy shot her a look from the shower. “Never..”

“We could be like this…always”

“I like to have both” He raised a brow. “Do you?”

Anna smiled at him, wrapping the towel around herself. “Yes. I love them”

“Me too Princess” He grabbed the shower gel. “Now, go enjoy your last moments of freedom”

“Please, I haven’t been free since I got paired up with a crazy arse Pilot” She grinned as a finger was offered in reply around the shower door and padded back into their bedroom.

 

Anna smiled to herself and tucked the small parcel underneath her panties, sliding the drawer closed as quietly as possible, his ears were still sharp enough to pick up on enemy approaching at two hundred feet. Turning away she cast her eyes over their bedroom, this came a close second to her favourite place in the house with her first being the kitchen. It was the smallest of the rooms upstairs because she had insisted on having an en suite added despite Cameron’s mutterings about vaguely sticking to budget, but Anna had never been able to adjust to not having a shower close by since leaving the city. And anyway she didn't need a huge space to sleep in, if anything it made her feel a little anxious to have so much distance to cover between her bed and the door, probably another throwback to her life on Atlantis.

No, this space was cosy and warm with a rug so deep you lost your toes in it covering most of the floorboards and the bed piled high with big squishy cushions and warm thick throws. The furniture was old but solid, drawers furnished with unique handles that Anna had picked out personally from a small market they had visited in their first few weeks back on Earth. The walls had deliberately been left their old, warm off-white colour so anything that caught her eye could be hung upon them, this currently included a collection of antique frames in battered copper that surrounded the faces of friends old and new, some favoured children’s scribbles, a couple of old clocks and a small tapestry depicting a Princess defending her Prince from a fire breathing dragon. Cameron had rolled his eyes when that one had been produced for him to put up but sometimes she caught him shooting it a quick smile as he walked past in the morning.

The wall opposite the window was bare because at the moment it was night and the thick curtains were pulled tight but during the day vivid colours that were ever-changing would move across it as the sun shone its rays through the stained glass. Anna had pretty much fallen in love with the old farmhouse as soon as they had come to a stop in front of it but that window had sealed the deal, Cam had left her staring at it to seek out the agent and bully him into bringing the house into their budget. Her Pilot had fulfilled his promise of giving her the home she’d always dreamed of and in return Anna had signed over the last little piece of her battered heart to him. Leaving their city had hurt, a deep down aching pain that never seemed to ease but what they had built here had wiped that away. Anna smiled a little sadly, now the only thing that would sometimes catch her unawares and leave her standing staring into space was the absence of those who couldn’t be here but he would soon find her, a warm hand pressing down onto her shoulder as they briefly shared the hurt before letting life wash over them once more.

 

Anna couldn’t hold back the smile as she smoothed her dress down and opened the door, cool winter air bursting through into the wide hallway bringing with it two small whirlwinds of shouts and hugs and demands for kisses. She went to her knees, gathering her sons into her arms, pressing her lips to their snow covered curls. Once they had received as much smothering as they could take, which was a little less than Anna would have liked, they untangled themselves and took off down the corridor with shouts of joy as they discovered a laden tree and their Dad placing the last of the gifts underneath it.

Grinning stupidly she raised herself back up and opened her arms for the next lot. He stepped inside the open circle Anna had formed and strong arms wrapped around her lifting her slightly off her feet, cool lips pressed against her cheek before she was released. Twinkling hazel looked down at her through a couple of sodden strands of slightly greying hair whilst the other man huffed behind him. “Looking good babe”

She dropped a small curtsey. “You too Colonel. Ready to not be gay yet?”

He winked at her. “Sorry sweetheart”

“Damn” Anna gave his hands a brief squeeze. “Thank you for having them, was it truly terrible?”

The man with him finally pushed past. “Yes”

“Rodney..” She was shot another wink. “You loved it and you know it…and manners. The MILF and I were having a moment”

“How are you still like this pushing fifty?” Her best friend rolled his eyes at his husband. 

“I am awesome” John pressed another kiss to her cheek before unwinding his scarf, sounds of mock fighting reaching all of their ears. “I’m gonna go rescue Mitch, hand to hand was never his strong point”

Anna grinned at him. “Have fun. And thank you again”

“Never a chore babe. They’re great, and it keeps Rodney young” He ducked a blow to the head and jogged down the hallway, shooting one last smirk at the other man before disappearing. 

“I swear that man was created just to piss me off” Her friend smiled at her whilst he shed his coat. “How was your night off?”

“Exhausting”

“Gross” Rodney pulled a face. “So, are we joining the fight?”

“I think they can handle it” Anna grabbed his hand. “You can come help me grab drinks and stuff”

“How is it we are still the ones running around after them?”

She rolled her eyes as they entered the kitchen. “Because thats how we work” Turning from the Aga briefly Anna raised a brow. “And we get spoiled too”

She got an eye roll back before he settled in to a chair at the large oak table, tracing fingers over the faded wood. “Thank you having us again this year Anna”

“Always welcome sweetie, you know that” Anna placed the tray of steaming pie on the side. “I’d probably have you all live here if I didn’t think Cameron would suffer some kind of coronary”

Rodney snorted. “So, whats the plan?”

“Theres no plan Dr McKay, you know that” She placed the wine and port in front of him. “Decant”

“Yes M’am” He shuffled his chair forward and began working on the corks. “We heard from the agency this morning”

Anna paused in her preparations and turned to face him, watching him concentrate on his duty. She bit her lip. “And?”

Her friend placed the bottle gently back down on the table and looked up at her. “Its a girl”

She raised her hands to her mouth to muffle the squeal. He rolled his eyes. Anna dropped them to smile at him. “Oh my God Rodney, that is so..I..I am so pleased for you honey”

He nodded. “I”m a little scared now”

“Don’t be silly sweetie, you’re gonna make such awesome parents” She moved around the table, forcing him into a hug. “No one deserves it more Rodney. The fight you’ve put up for this is only the beginning of the reasons you should have it” He nodded dumbly into her embrace. “Merry Christmas Dr Sheppard”

“Merry Christmas Mrs Mitchell”

 

Anna paused in her conversation with Laura as Cameron stood and cleared his throat. He smiled at the people gathered in their living room. “I’m afraid it’s time for the traditional Queen’s speech” There were a few muttered cursings. Anna glared at her friends as he shot her a smirk. “Princess, the floor is yours”

“When isn’t it?”

“Bite me Chuck” She grinned and stood, moving next to her husband. The tree twinkled softly behind her small audience. There was a gentle brush down her arm before Cameron took a small step away. Anna smiled and placed her drink on the table beside her before straightening and taking them all in. God, they were getting old. She smoothed her expression. “Firstly I would like to thank all of you for coming again this year” She pointed at John. “No rude comments please”

He raised his hands in silent surrender and winked at her. Anna rolled her eyes before smoothing her expression. “I know that as the years move scarily quickly on the team we once were fades even more into the past, but I hope that in turn the team is growing into something more, dear friends, family even. The bonds we formed all that time ago still seem to be holding strong, the loyalty, trust and love that was built seeing us way past what they were originally intended for….to win a war” She sighed quietly, taking in the faces that were now intently watching her. “The war was won, but I don’t have to tell you that, and it was not without it’s losses, I don’t have to tell you that either. Tonight I would like to remember and honour those losses..”

Anna shot a quick look at him, he was frowning ever so slightly but staying quiet. She took a breath and ploughed on. “If it was not for them we would not be standing here today, if it were not for all of you Cameron and I would not be here today, nor would our babies. I worry that those we should give thanks to are fading too fast in my memory, I want to remember” She laced her fingers together, hands resting gently over her stomach. “I want to remember Marshall Sumner, my first true loss, a man who never understood me, sometimes feared me but still took the time to help me realise my potential, who encouraged me to be strong. A man who sacrificed himself to the war effort without thought or fear. A man who was so incredibly stubborn and annoying I often wanted to punch in his smug face” Anna smiled as Chuck nodded enthusiastically, whilst the man standing beside her, albeit a little way off, snorted quietly. 

“I want to remember Lindsay Novak” She took in their carefully blank expressions. “She was Marshall’s first Navi, a woman I never met but whose echoes I could feel in the chair. Strong, smart, tough…one of the first Navi’s who flew without a bond, who was eventually forced to choose between her Pilot and a possible true love. It must have sucked. She married the man she left Marshall for, had a daughter…passed away eight years ago onboard the Daedalus. She never stopped giving to the war, never forgot those who she left behind on the city…”

“I want to remember Full Bird Colonel Samantha Carter. Her dedication, loyalty and hard work when it came to the Programme and to Atlantis can never be put into words. A CO who can never be surpassed and a friend who is always missed. When she fell defending our home the ripples of sadness and hopelessness will forever be in my memory and my heart” Warm fingers worked their between hers and Anna squeezed her husbands hand. “I want to remember Major Aiden Ford. A marine whom I have never met the like of again. A young man who had so much more to give, a soldier who was so much more than a weapon. His death whilst trying to save his CO should always be remembered, they were true friends and loyal to each other to the end. Semper Fi”

Her words were echoed quietly around the room. Anna fought the shiver, swallowed as quietly as she could. “I want to remember Brigadier General Hank Landry” The fingers encasing hers tightened. “A man who stood firm from the beginning of the war to the end. Who had freedom and peace within reach and instead chose to sacrifice himself to save another. A dear friend, a confidante, the only authority figure I have never had the urge to shoot. I miss him everyday. His putdowns should never be forgotten”

“Agreed” Murmured Chuck.

They exchanged a brief grin. Anna took a breath. “I want to remember Brigadier General Steven Caldwell” The grip on her hands became painful. She ignored it. “His actions during the war have already been honoured, spoken a thousand times over. For me, I want to honour what I know, what I remember. He saved Chuck, he visited me everyday in hospital, he came back to a place that held so many painful memories and in that place he built a team, a family. He had our backs, he trusted us, he put his career, reputation on the line for us. He punched a senior member of staff in the face for us. He told Landry to go forth and reproduce with himself for us” She closed her eyes briefly. “And somehow he managed, through all of the shit, to love us. But none he loved more than Laura”

“Anna..” the word was whispered. 

She looked up to see her old friend staring resolutely at her, chin up and defiant but eyes a little moist, tongue darting out to lick her lips. The other woman nodded and Anna gave her a small, sad smile. “General for a day” She whispered. “There was no one more deserving, none more fitting” She wiggled out a hand and held it out to her friend, who stepped forward and slid her own into Anna’s. She pulled her in and held on tight. “Basically I don’t have the vocabulary to eloquently say what I want to about Steven, just that he was awesome, and so are you. And so is your daughter, who thankfully looks like you” 

Laura huffed quietly and ran her spare hand over her face.

“And I promise that I will make sure your awesome daughter knows all about her Dad, even the fuck ups” Anna squeezed her friends hand.

“I know, thank you” Laura whispered quietly before grasping her discarded drink and raising it, eyes travelling over the surviving members of the squad. “I remember”

Glasses were raised, the cut glass catching the tree lights and flickering flames of the fire. “I remember”

 

Anna stepped into her nightie, enjoying the feeling of black silk sliding up her body, smiling slightly as she turned to the mirror to watch herself slip the straps over her shoulders. She wiggled slightly and smoothed the sensuous material over her contours. It had been long time since she’d slept naked, her sons’s delight in charging into their bedroom in the early hours and tearing the comforter from her and Cameron’s bodies had eventually put a stop to that, but her selection of nightwear was specifically chosen to make her husband feel a little better about his wife not sporting full nudity in bed anymore.

“Princess!” His voice drifted through the open door. “There’s going to be stocking opening in about five hours so lets shift yeah?!”

She rolled her eyes but smiled a little. Christmas had gone from lazy mornings in bed before consuming obscene amounts of food and alcohol with their friends, usually followed by sex, to a twelve hour joy/sugar induced rampage on their household before the grownups collapsed at around 10pm with glasses filled to the brim with vintage whisky, an old Superman movie playing in the background and a few passionate rounds of Poker before they passed out exhausted. She grinned a little wider. Didn’t get any better.

“Princess!”

Rolling her eyes again she flicked of the light and wandered back into the bedroom. Cameron was sat propped up against the pillows, the same book he’d been reading for the past eighteen months resting open on his legs. “How’s your foray into 8th Century Old English Epic Literature going dear?”

He flipped her off. “Painfully, thanks for asking…again”

“Welcome” Anna smiled and turned her back to him, opening up the top drawer and tugging out her earlier stashed parcel. “There’s something I want you to open away from everyone else’s eyes”

“Is it that lovely addition to your lingerie collection baby?”

She turned and grinned at him. “No, stockings remember?”

Her husband raised a brow as she padded over to the bed. “I do remember, frequently”

Anna scowled at him before reaching for the discarded reading material and placing it on his bedside. “Head out the gutter Colonel, early start remember?”

“Spoilsport” He smirked at her as she settled herself where the book had been resting. “You’re sending mixed messages my Princess” Warm hands slid up her sides. 

“Hands off Mitchell” She proffered the parcel wrapped in white tissue, tied with a sliver of pink ribbon. “Here, Merry Christmas Cameron”

His hands left her body and reached out for the package, gently taking it from her hands. He turned it over slowly. “Slightly girly wrapping Anna, I feel a little offended”

“It’s relevant”

Another brow raise but he turned to the task of sliding the ribbon away and pulling at the delicate tissue paper. As it fell away from his hands he held his early Christmas gift up, momentarily blocking his face from her gaze. There was a moments silence. “It’s very nice baby but I don’t think it’s going to fit”

Anna huffed, she’d already been a little nervous about this. “Cam, please be serious”

The item was slowly lowered until his piercing blue eyes appeared, staring intently into hers. “Is this a request my Princess, or reality?”

She chewed her lip. “Reality Cameron”

“Oh” He eyed the object again. “It’s pink”

“Yes Cameron”

“Huh” Another pause then he blew out a slow breath. “I….I’m going to have a daughter?”

Anna swallowed. “Yes Cameron” She whispered.

“A girl.” He murmured.

She nodded dumbly, stomach swirling as she watched him turn the thought over in his mind. Anna never read him unless given permission these days, out of respect for him and his wishes. Anyway there was no need now, she was so secure in his love and trust, something the Empath gave thanks for everyday.

Her husband’s eyes raised to her’s again. “You know its a girl?”

Anna nodded again. “I can feel her”

Fingers trailed over her stomach. “The only thing I’m envious of when it comes to your abilities my love” His palm pressed softly against the place where their baby was growing. “You get to know them so much sooner than I do”

“I can’t help it” Anna’s brow furrowed a little and she chewed her lip again. “It doesn’t matter…you know…I…I just have to know how you feel, please?”

Cameron sighed quietly, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Still not reading me Anna?”

She shook her head.

“Thank you” He leant forward and pressed a closed mouth kiss against her lips. “I can’t believe its a girl”

“Is it..ok?”

“Of course it is, you idiot” The pink all-in-one was placed on the bedside before arms wrapped around her waist, a kiss pressed on her neck. “I love you Anna Mitchell”

She closed her eyes. “I love you Cameron Mitchell”

“I am so grateful…for my babies, for everything”

“So..she’s welcome?”

“Yes…as long as she doesn’t take after her Mother”

“Bite me”

 

Anna lay awake, staring into the dark, waiting for whatever had woken her to reveal its presence. The house was silent, after the two boys hadn’t appeared at the door with sparkling eyes and stuffed stockings within two minutes of her eyes snapping open Anna had reached out gently with her mind, relaxing as she found them both where they should be, and sleeping soundly. But she hadn’t been able to settle back down, something had woken her and it bothered the powerful Empath that she couldn’t identify it.

Years of training stopped her from twitching as a small sound came from downstairs. Turning slowly Anna looked over at her husband, frowning slightly as it became clear that even his breathing hadn’t altered at the alien sound in their house. It may have been a long time since they’d had to sleep on high alert but it had only been a couple of months ago that Cameron had woken at the sounds of a hedgehog snuffling in their garden, all ready to take whatever dared intrude in his home down with his Beretta. She studied his face, chewing on her lip, before reaching a decision and sliding slowly from the bed. 

Not even a minute later she clicked the safety off the sidearm, gazing down at him. He was still sleeping soundly, his breathing even and uninterrupted. Her sweat covered skin impossibly goose bumped, heat rising up her arms, travelling painfully though her neck before it converged in her mind, sparking off long-forgotten instincts. Something was very wrong. Turning her back on her husband she ran through the doorway and down the hall, skidding into the next room on the right where her sons were sleeping, sharing a room because of their guests. Holding a clenched fist to her mouth, breathing heavily, she tried to comfort herself with the sight of them both curled safely beneath the hand stitched comforter. 

Stepping out and pulling the door closed behind her Anna made her way silently to the stairs, making sure to avoid the carefully placed squeaky boards. The paranoia had never truly died in any of them. Rodney and John’s house could technologically hold off a small alien invasion, and she knew where each of the weapon stashes in Laura’s home were placed. Padding slowly down the stairs she held the Beretta out in front, mind seeking out any other that did not belong in her home. The Empath side of her remained unsatisfied, the only other presences were that of her loved ones, snoozing peacefully whilst Anna crept through the house. At least three of them should have joined her by now, their Special Ops skills drawing them to the unusual activities. 

Keeping a firm hold on the belief that she wasn’t going mad and there really was something here that shouldn’t be Anna explored the living room first. She stood in the middle of the room, still warm, the embers of the fire still glowing softly, tree lights both illuminating and shadowing dark corners. Her eyes took in the wrapped gifts, the stockings hung on the mantelpiece, each embroidered with the name of a squadron member. Anna shivered slightly before taking one last static spin, eyes searching out the familiar places. There was nothing here.

The hall tiles were cold underfoot, the narrow space still holding onto the scent of winter that had blown in with her friends. The light from the outside decorations shone true and steady through the coloured glass set into the front door. Steeling herself Anna pushed open the swing door that led to the kitchen, the smell of her earlier baking mingled with mulled wine drifted up her nostrils, the only light shining through the large window above the sink. Anna performed a quick but thorough sweep of the space around her before turning back to the window, staring out into the night. Sharp eyes took in the scene before her, clear night, stars bright and clear, down to the front lawn, the shine of her guests cars, slowly being hidden by soft, white snow. She smiled slightly despite her fears, it would be a white Christmas this year. The boys would be so excited, and not just the children.

Anna took a breath, closed her eyes briefly. It must have been a dream, her imagination. The Empath had detected nothing, and her search of the house had turned up no evidence that they had unwanted visitors. She stroked her stomach lightly. Pregnancy always did send her a little off the rails, the hormones, the connection to her unborn children, it never failed to fog up her senses, confuse her empathic side. She sighed quietly and opened her eyes again. Her stomach dropped. The kitchen was bathed in a green light and it wasn’t coming from outside.

The goosebumps returned, weapon rising Anna spun slowly on one foot coming to a stop facing the door that led to the basement. She shivered. The outline of the door shone bright, strange sounds rising up from beneath her feet. She cradled her stomach with her free hand, wanting so desperately to sprint to the stairs, up and up until she could gather her babies in her arms and bury them all under the covers with her husband. The knowledge that he had still not stirred the only thing keeping her stationary, it seemed that whatever this was Anna alone was capable of sensing it, confronting it. She felt her jaw twitch. Whoever, or whatever, this was had no idea what was coming. Anna Mitchell under threat was just as deadly as Anna Rayne, perhaps even more so now with the amount she had to lose.

 

She lifted her second foot from the bottom step, placed it gently upon the cold, hard basement floor, gun still steady and sure pointed in front of her. Anna swept the room as she had done a thousand times before, except this time it was her home, her family that her actions could either save or seal their fates. The room had a surprisingly high ceiling, Cameron had built shelves along one wall and over the years they had filled with discarded toys and abandoned hobbies, on the top shelves were twelve cardboard boxes packed carefully with memories and documents from their lives before, sitting there quietly all the while ensuring both her’s and his continued sanctuary and safety. 

Anna took in the washer and dryer, undisturbed piles of clothes on their closed lids. Moving through the eerie green light she passed under the open stairs, finding nothing to impede her path. Returning to her original position she sighed quietly, at a loss as to what to do now, the glow seemed to be coming from no specific point and there was no enemy attacking. 

Her gaze dropped to the ground as small vibrations began beneath her feet, Anna tilted her head, frowning as she studied the concrete. Her eyes slid to the left, the barrel of the Beretta following their path. Anna hissed in a breath as she watched the machines begin to judder, children sized t-shirts and jeans seeming to come to life before falling to the floor as they separated, forming a pathway between the two hunks of metal. She moved to face them, emptied her mind, aimed her gun, as the now exposed wall glowed brighter, the mortar crumbling and sending shards of green across the room. As if in a horror movie the bricks wrenched apart from each other, a jagged doorway now unmistakably outlined in her basement. Anna fired off three rounds.

As the echoes of her shots died away Anna clenched her jaw, moved slowly but steadily towards the now gaping archway in front of her. Stopping three feet away she paused, eyes trying to pierce the mist made impenetrable because of the light. She rolled her shoulders. “Whoever you are I strongly suggest you get the fuck out of my house” 

Silence.

Anna took a step closer. “This gun…its nothing compared to what I can do to you. Do you hear me?!” She took another step. Now she was barely a foot away from whatever doorway to whatever hell was waiting for her. She tried not to think of her daughter. “Come out you bastard!”

A hand broke apart the mist, grey smooth skin and nails that were more like talons. She took a step back. “You are not welcome” She hissed. An arm followed the hand, elegant shoulders, prominent collarbone….a face that in one way was the most beautiful that Anna had ever seen and yet also the most horrifying. The head tilted, a sharp movement that was almost reptile like, yellow eyes with vertical slits of black running through them joined with hers. She felt herself sway back, Beretta dropping to point uselessly at the floor.

“Anna” And that voice, so comforting, so familiar. “Thank you Anna” The hand reached forward, cool fingers and sharp nails caressing her skin. “Queen to Queen” The face hissed, tongue running over sharpened teeth. “It is time” 

The hand pressed against her chest and Anna screamed.

 

Meanwhile….

Jennifer saved and closed the document on the screen in front of her and leant back in the chair with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was a good Empath, no she knew she was an excellent one, nothing less would have allowed her the opportunity of this position on a top secret military base but even unconscious and battered Anna Rayne’s blocks were still too powerful for her to penetrate. Oh yes, she had tried to read the young woman despite her orders, safe in the knowledge that with Miss Emmagan under strict instructions from her husband not to indulge in her abilities there was nobody else strong enough to pick up on her attempts. But try as she might there was just no breaking down Miss Rayne’s blocks.

She swivelled gently from side to side in her chair, chewing her lip. Jen had no desire to discover the secrets the young Navi held in her head, she was inclined to believe that there were things there that herself would not wish to see, but without being able to penetrate the other woman’s mind the treatment she could offer was very limited, if nothing. And if things rolled out how they were expected in the next forty eight hours Atlantis would need as capable Anna Rayne as they could get. She stopped swivelling and pulled her pony out, running a hand through her hair wearily before standing. Perhaps now Anna was dipping in and out of consciousness they could work together a little easier. Padding quietly across her office floor she pushed open the door and proceeded with the same silent footsteps along the small wing that was her infirmary.

Only a few seconds later she was stood before an empty bed gaping stupidly at the rumpled sheets and the distinct lack of one Anna Rayne. “Shit” She whispered. “Shit, shit, shit” Shooting a couple of hurried looks in both directions Jen then tapped the small radio in her ear and tried not to think about just how much shit she was going to be paddling around in. She fought the urge to vomit as his voice confirming their connection sounded in her ear. “General Landry Sir?”

“Keller?” He sounded tired, and a little pissed.

Jen swallowed.

“Spit it out Doc. I’m a little busy”

She closed her eyes. “She’s gone Hank”

“What?

“She’s gone” Jen could hear her voice rising a little with the sudden onslaught of panic. “Oh shit, she’s gone”

 

Hank looked at the young woman stood the other side of his desk who appeared to be trying to decide whether to vomit all over her own shoes or cry. He took a calming breath, Jennifer Keller was a gifted Empath and a brilliant medic, and Anna Rayne was a very slippery, very annoying fish. “Now relax Jen. If I had to guess she woke up hungry and took a walk to the mess”

She gaped at him. “A snack?”

“The girl’s appetite for pie is legendary Dr Keller” He attempted a small smile. “However, with the current situation we’ll put out, a very quiet, search party ok? Don’t want any alarms raised yet. People are edgy enough as it is” She nodded. “When did you last do a check?”

She licked her lips nervously, checked her tablet. “An hour ago now. McKay and Harrington left at least another hour before that. I had two on duty staff who were then called to an emergency in Dr Beckett’s wing. After they left I did my check, Anna is my only patient at the moment, then I went into my office” She scrubbed a hand over her face. “I don’t understand, the bed and the exit are alarmed. I would never have left her unattended otherwise”

Hank nodded, frowning. “Of course” He ignored the sudden niggling doubt at this new piece of information, wanting to maintain his calm projection. “Return to your infirmary for now Doc, just in case she sneaks back in. Don’t tell anyone. I will dispatch a small search party” 

Keller returned the nod. “Of course Hank. I..I am so sorry”

“Not your fault girl” He waved a hand. “We should have had a guard too. My fault…too distracted” His eyes flickered to the dozens of discarded objectives should the city come under attack.

“Understandable” The young woman murmured. “Please, if I can help at all..” She trailed off.

“Of course” He went for that easy smile again, hoping it reached his eyes. “Now go, and I promise you have first bollocking rights when we find her”

There was a quiet snort. “Thank you” 

After she had left Hank pressed his pointer finger deep between his brows before straightening up in his chair and tapping his earpiece. “Bloody girl” He muttered. Then he shot to his feet, chair skittering away behind him, as he cursed loudly when the usual crackle to tell him that he was connected to the comm system turned into a hight pitched squeal that made him feel as though his brain was bleeding out of his ears. He ripped out his earpiece and threw it to the desk, drawing deep breaths, hands resting on his knees. “Fuck” He raised up again, staggering slightly with the pounding in his head he made his way unsteadily to the door. Pulling it open he moved towards the very pale faced Tech who had been connected to the centre console but was now slowly picking himself up off the floor. “Ok Jenkins?!”

There was a grimace along with a silent nod and a gesture for him to not shout.

“Sorry!” The man winced again. Great, the damn thing must have blown his eardrum. He tried again. “Sorry?” There was an affirmative nod. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know Sir” The man whispered. “From what I can tell it was a power overload but it’ll need further investigating. And its blown out my tablet and half the screens”

“Shit!”

“Sir!”

“Sorry!” Hank rolled his eyes at another flinch from the man now sitting opposite him. “Sorry” He whispered. “Can we still use the radios?”

“I wouldn’t currently recommend it Sir” The Tech kept his own voice low. “And we have no idea what other systems it has affected. I suggest we try not to utilise too much tech at the moment”

“Forty eight hours from attack and I can’t use any of the fun buttons?”

“Yes Sir” The young man smiled sheepishly. “Sorry”

“Well, shit”

“Exactly Sir”

Hank glared at him. “Get what you need, as safely as you can” He was nodded at. “And why isn’t your boss up here screaming at me like a banshee because his precious city is broken?”

“I don’t know Sir”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes Sir” Jenkins nodded vigarously.

Hank rested his hand casually on the sidearm he wore merely out of habit these days. “Are….you….sure?”

The Tech eyed him. “Yes Sir” He licked his lips. “But he hasn’t been around much lately, its actually been quite nice, you know less shouting, and we are certainly all..”

“Not the fucking time…”

The young man cleared his throat. “Right, no sorry…I ramble when I’m nervous“

“No shit” Hank raised a brow. “Well?”

“He’s only been spending time with his top team General….somewhere in the city, but we don’t know where. Not in the labs”

“Great, just fucking great. Why can’t you people talk to me about shit like this? Did it not occur…” He trailed off. “No, of course not” Hank sighed. “And fetch me Harrison”

“Um, Sir?”

“Well, don’t just sit there man..!” Jenkins jumped out of his seat and began to back away. “….the red fucking bulb is flashing, its a fucking emergency…!” He followed the rapidly retreating Tech who was making a vague surrender sign with his hands. “….And get a fucking grip Jenkins!”

“I will Sir!” 

Once the rapidly retreating arse of Dr Jenkins had disappeared Hank spun to face down the rest of the gaping gateroom personnel treating them to his best ‘I’m the boss and I’m really pissed, and I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it’ face. “And somebody bring me the tattered remains of Squadron One! Now!”

 

Rodney rubbed his eyes wearily and squinted at the bed across from his desk. He had tried to remain relaxed around Anna, his friend needed to be surrounded with as much calm as possible, but inside he felt shaken, and lonely. After only a few short months with his Pilot he had, almost unnoticeably, become reliant on the other man for peace of mind, contentment. The ache in his chest for Colonel John Sheppard was becoming nearly unbearable after only a few days. He sighed quietly and rolled his neck before tiredly pushing himself up from his chair. He had been away from the infirmary for long enough, sleep had been tough to achieve with the underlying worry for his friend, and the cold expanse of the other side of the bed.

Snagging his Pilot’s fleece, to pull on for comfort, he made his way to the door. As it slid silently open at his request he ran into a white-coated Tech who was attempting to occupy the same space as him and swore loudly. “What the fuck?!”

“I’m sorry Dr McKay” The other man stepped away from him, hands raising in a half-hearted surrendering motion. “I was just coming to fetch you”

His stomach dropped. “What? Whats happened?!”

“Um, General Landry needs you in the gate room Dr McKay”

Rodney relaxed a little, went to move around the other man. “Theres been a message from Earth?”

The Tech fell into step with him. “No, on this I am certain, I have been connected to the control panel for the past eight hours. There is something happening to the city”

The Navi stopped mid-step, left foot ridiculously hanging in midair. He tried to keep his voice even amid the nasty swirling feeling in his stomach. “Miss Rayne?”

“Um..” The man was frowning at him. “She wasn’t mentioned”

“And somehow that doesn’t make me feel better” Rodney picked up his pace. “Is the problem the reason why I got a house call instead of a radio one?”

The man who was being forced to practically jog alongside him nodded. “Yes, everything was normal until the General attempted a radio call. It blew out half the console and any other tech that was plugged into the city’s mainframe, its also blown out his eardrum…you may not want to get too close”

He snorted despite himself. “Transporters?”

“I took the emergency stairs but you’re welcome to try” 

They slowed as the transporter doors came into sight and Rodney eyed them suspiciously. It would be a hell of a lot quicker than running up and down two dozen of the flights of stairs that crisscrossed the outside of the city but he also couldn’t afford, or wish, to be trapped in a small metal box for hours on end either. He gave a small shiver at the thought before heading further down the corridor, making for the nearest of the emergency exits. “Hope you’ve been working out Doc”

The other man sighed. “I’ll see you there Dr McKay”

Nodding and shooting the Tech a quick smirk for good measure, one that would rival his Pilot’s best, Rodney took off at a sprint. When he had first arrived on the city Anna had insisted on taking him on disgustingly early runs all over Atlantis, including the catwalks that the previous owners had thoughtfully built in case of emergencies just like these. He’d cursed her out over many a sunrise but lately he’d been a little grateful, his friend had shown him how to get everywhere from anywhere and he could now traverse the sometimes precarious walkways with ease, and speed. 

Sometimes, Rodney wondered, it seemed as if Anna Rayne was not just Empathic but Prophetic also. It always seemed that their team knew something that they didn’t know they knew until they actually needed to, like now when he knew that if he took the small and slightly dangerous looking stairway that would be appearing off to his left any minute now it would lead him to an even narrower catwalk that ran at a gentle slope to a small door that opened up behind the main staircase in the gate room. 

Veering off to the left he cursed quietly at the glimpse of another mans back before it disappeared around the first curve, of course Harrington would know this way too. What Rodney didn’t like was the fact the only other active member of Squadron One had also gotten a house call. He shifted gear again until he was running as fast as was safely possible and chased down the other Navi, ignoring the way the metal frame groaned protestingly under his pounding feet.

 

Hank eyed the two gently panting men stood in his office, their cheeks were flushed and the smell of the ocean clung to them. He checked his watch and sighed quietly, careful to keep his voice at what he guessed to be a normal volume. “I should take you all out the sky and have you train my marines” There were two brief grins before their expressions turned serious. He nodded. “We have a problem gentlemen”

Chuck huffed. “Another one?”

The General narrowed his gaze. “Yes Chuck, another one. Not only does my city seem to be in the midst of some kind of personal crisis we are also minus one Anna Rayne”

“I bloody knew it” Muttered Rodney. “We shouldn’t have left”

Hank held up a quietening hand. “Not your fault. Nor is it poor Dr Keller’s, who is sat staring at an empty bed probably wondering if she still has a job” He pushed back his chair and stood. “We have an hour window where Anna could have either left, or was taken from, the infirmary”

“She was conscious, and would have kicked up a hell of a lot of fuss, even if she couldn’t currently fight off an attacker” Chuck looked thoughtful. “She’s gone looking for something?”

He raised a brow, they were bright, the lot of them, but also their bonds were ever-changing and seeming to push the boundaries of what was previously thought possible. “Is that a guess or a feeling Chuck?”

A brief look of surprise flickered on the Navi’s face. “Um, I don’t know?”

“I would tend to agree” Rodney nodded. “But what? There is no Squadron One at the moment, she didn’t come to me or Chuck, and she knows Mitchell is back on Earth”

“And she hasn’t appeared in the gate room demanding to be sent to him” Hank scrubbed his chin thoughtfully. “No Vipers have left the bay but I have sent a sec team to check just in case”

Chuck shook his head. “She couldn’t hope to fly and, as un-Anna as it sounds, she wouldn’t attempt it. In her current state and without her Pilot it would be suicide”

“Perhaps” Murmured Hank. He shook his head slightly. “Actually my first thought was that she had woken hungry and not found anyone to help her. Taken a wander down to the mess”

Rodney snorted quietly. “Sounds about right. But there should have been someone in the infirmary to help her?”

The General shook his head. “Keller’s night staff were called to an emergency, she was sat in her office. Anna was the only patient in that wing” He moved around his desk and propped himself on the edge, carefully studying his audience as he spoke again. “I checked in at the mess personally, Lenny is on duty and swears he hasn’t seen her. The most worrying point is that both Anna’s bed and the door to the Empath wing were alarmed. If someone had entered the room Keller would have known, and if Anna had taken it upon herself to get up the Doc would have been alerted immediately”

“Shit” Rodney whispered. “Someone disabled the alarm”

Hank felt his lips twitch, they were bright, and quick.

“That is not good” Chuck chewed on his lip, brow furrowing. “But who, I mean thats got to be pretty hard to do”

“It is” The genius Navi was nodding vigarously. “I could count on one hand the people I know who have the skills needed to hack into the systems without raising any kind of alarm”

“You could”

“Bite me” 

The two Navi’s glared at each other. Hank made an authoritative throat clearing sound, they turned to look at him. “Did you enable Anna Rayne to leave the infirmary undetected Dr McKay?”

“Bite me” Rodney scowled at him.

“At least plaster a Sir on the end McKay” Hank rolled his eyes and sighed. “Personally I think you’re too good of a friend to allow her to go wandering off on good knows what mission” 

There was a muttered “Gee, thanks”

Hank glared. “SO, who else is there?”

The slightly disgruntled Navi chewed his lip. “Carter and Zalenka definitely, me of course” He splayed out a thumb and two fingers, tapping the middle finger thoughtfully. “Keller, because its her system” He uncurled a fourth digit. “But I can’t see what she would gain from it. It would more than likely end up in a demotion or dismissal whatever her reason” 

“Agreed” The General nodded encouragingly. “And?”

Rodney frowned. “I want to say Kavannagh but I just don’t think he could. I mean he’s smart enough to bluster his way through most things but this..”

“Apparently he’s holed up in the city somewhere with his top men” Hank raised a brow. “Any of them?”

The Navi shrugged. “I don’t know, John limited my contact as much as was possible with the Techs”

“Sensible” Hank rolled his neck. “Of course, together and maybe with whatever they’re working on, they could have managed it”

“Maybe” Rodney raised a brow. “You think the two are connected”

It appeared to be statement rather than a question so Hank merely raised a brow.

The other Navi rolled his eyes. “You mean Anna’s rather convenient escape right around the time the city had a meltdown?”

“Only her”

They all looked at each other.

“Right, shit”

“Mitchell’s going to go ape”

“Mitchell is currently three million light years away gentlemen” Hank folded his arms across his chest. “We need to find Miss Rayne and try to get my city working again before those Hybrids arrive”

“Great, I’d forgotten about them for a minute then” Chuck scraped a hand through his hair. “So, if she didn’t hit the mess or come to us then where would she have gone?”

“I think we need to stop trying to figure out where Anna is” Hank joined Chuck in gaping at Rodney. He rolled his eyes and waved a hand. “We find out what caused the technical fault, I’d wager my entire years pay packet that will lead us to Anna, and whoever disabled the alarms”

“We can’t connect the tablets Rodney, the overload has taken down so many systems and failsafes its too dangerous, and it seems to have left us in an even weaker position than before”

The genius waved another hand. “All I need is the data recorded just before and at the time of the power surge”

Hank fought the urge to sigh in exasperation. “And just how do you intend to do that without turning anything on or plugging anything in?”

Rodney smirked, Hank was briefly reminded of Colonel John Sheppard. “The Vipers”

 

Dr Harrison crouched between the two chairs inside Viper Two, fingers moving steadily and surely over the console that had been revealed at the base of the Navigator’s seat as he concentrated on the murmured instructions from Dr Rodney McKay. He had still not been fully briefed on the situation but the looks on the other men’s faces had halted him from pressing for more information, he knew that something had gone horribly wrong with the city’s systems and he had a funny feeling he was only here because of his confidence in McKay and his Pilot all those weeks ago. It seemed that had earned him at least an iota more trust than the other Techs. The quiet instructions stopped and he stilled, hands hovering over the complex twists of wiring and the softly glowing touch sensitive buttons. 

“Rodney?” The whispered enquiry came from Chuck Harrington who was stood on the top step of the open hatchway, slightly frowning face peering inside, eerily illuminated from the lit up Viper. The General was mirroring his position, effectively blocking out the light from the Viper Bay.

“One minute” The Navigator didn’t shift his gaze from the tablet in his hands, his own fingers still lightly brushing over the screen.

They stood, or in his case uncomfortably squatted, in silence. Matthew resisted the urge to fill the void, ask questions. His knowledge of the Viper’s was pretty extensive but even he had lost track about ten minutes into their work. The power drain and the loss of Squadron One had been a huge blow even without the threat of the incoming Hybrids but now it seemed the entire city was holding its breath, waiting, not quite ready to bow to the inevitable despite the overwhelming odds. This was Atlantis, a battered outpost miles from home that had always come through, always survived but Matthew could not stop being haunted by the feeling that this was it, there was no miracle coming this time. He ran a weary hand over his face.

“Harrison?”

He shook himself and looked up. “Dr McKay?”

The other man eyed him curiously for a second then nodded at the still glowing console. “Second button from the left, two touches” McKay turned away instantly, eyes falling back to his work.

Matthew refocused and reached out a finger, gently tapping. A small electrical charge sent him ungracefully falling backwards in the confined space and he shoved his burning finger in his mouth, cursing around it as he looked up into the worried face of Rodney McKay. He glowered at him. “Nice one”

A dismissive had was waved. “Unless its fallen off I’d prefer to have this argument later” He opened his mouth to retort but realised he was already forgotten about. The other man was looking up at their audience. “This isn’t an exact science, the connection between the Vipers and Atlantis is an intermittent one because the craft need to be able to operate when they are out of comm range however this does mean that they escaped whatever blew out the city’s systems”

The General frowned. “Thats a good thing right?”

McKay nodded. “Right. But the data I’ve gathered will not be 100% accurate”

“Then what the hell have we been wasting time for down here McKay!” Landry huffed. “I should be back up there..” A hand was waved vaguely behind him. “We could have sent out search parties by now, I could have had you working on repairing Atlantis’s defence systems along with your co-genius here” 

Matthew was finally acknowledged with a nod of the head, he took a gamble and cleared his throat. 

“What?!”

“Hey now..” He pushed himself back up into as comfortable sitting position as he could find. “First of all, no it hasn’t fallen off but thanks for your concern” He glared at them as his comment was met with rolled eyes. Matthew ploughed on. “Secondly, can someone please tell me what or who we’re searching for? I could maybe help a little more if I actually knew what was going on…and thirdly Dr McKay is right, and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. Both the Vipers and Jumpers will be operating normally. This means we can at least put up some kind of fight if we fail to get the city up and running, maybe even evacuate those who are most vulnerable”

They stared at him for a moment then Harrington sighed. “We weren’t down here to check if the Vipers could be launched Harrison. Rodney thought he could identify what happened to Atlantis by going through the Viper’s systems which in turn we hoped would lead us to…” he licked his lips. “Anna”

“Chuck!” His fellow Navi glared at him.

“Oh come on Rodney, this isn’t going to take long to reach the city’s rumour mill, and you said you half-trusted the man…”

“Gee thanks” Muttered Matthew. He was ignored. Then he became aware of the funny rolling feeling deep down in his stomach “Rayne is missing?”

McKay nodded resignedly. “From the infirmary, right around the time everything went to shit”

“Shit”

“Exactly” 

He raised a brow before gesturing to the still lit up tablet in the man’s hands. “And?”

Dr McKay’s eyes dipped downwards and he licked his lips, fingers scrolling down lines and lines of what looked like jumbled data. Suddenly he paused, frowning and hurriedly pushing the information back up his screen before zooming in on something. He hissed in a breath.

Landry leant in further, beating the other men to it. “Rodney?”

The Navi looked up, worry etched into his face. “I think I’ve found her”

 

Hank just managed to skid into the gate room ahead of the other three men, although he had a sneaking suspicion that may have been deliberate on their part. He had become so reliant on the efficient radio system that the size of the city sometimes became forgotten, he’d even had to sometimes slow on their way here to gather his bearings, something he made a quick promise to himself to rectify if they lived through this nightmare. He focused on the sec team that were watching him warily and attempted to pull himself into a more Generally stature, pointing at their Captain. “Bates” The man saluted. “Take your team, accompany Dr’s McKay and Harrison to the Chair Room, until I catch up you answer to them. Follow their lead, gather up any marine you pass on the way, no radios!”

“Yes Sir” The men started to gather around their team leader as he silently awaited any further instructions.

Hank nodded. “Secure the area, watch their backs, if they or Miss Anna Rayne appear to be in any immediate danger you have clearance to fire. Non-fatal if possible Bates”

“Understood Sir”

He was suddenly very grateful for the unquestioning loyalty of his men. “I don’t think any of the military are involved Bates, you should be faced with a low level threat but please watch yourselves”

“Thank you Sir, of course” There was another sharp salute.

Hank turned to a practically vibrating Dr McKay, the man was clearly struggling to obey the command of waiting until the General had finished the very brief briefing he’d wanted to give his men. He wordlessly unclipped his sidearm and held it out to the Navi. “Go Rodney, don’t do anything stupid” For a moment the other man hesitated then the gun was snatched from his grip with barely a nod and Dr Rodney McKay was sprinting off across the gate room, heading for the exit that would eventually take him to his best friend. Hot on his heels went the marines with Dr Harrison putting in a valiant effort of keeping up. He turned to Chuck who was watching the disappearing figures with an obviously frustrated look on his face. Hank felt a small surge of pity. “Chuck?”

The young Navi sighed and raised a brow. “Tell me why I’m not going with my friends, my team?”

“Because you’re the quickest lad” Hank smiled and nodded at him. “You need to collect Keller and hunt down Ronan. I don’t want to take any chances”

Chuck shook his head. “Find Ronan? Without radios that could take days”

The General snorted despite himself. “No, it won’t. You know where he spends his time. We will need him, need them both”

“Sure” The other man sighed. “Don’t suppose I get a gun?”

Hank huffed a laugh and bent down, tugging up his trouser leg he removed the small pistol from its holster. “Here, and if I get shot its your fault”

“Please don’t get shot Sir” Chuck shot him a quick grin then performed an exit as speedy and impressive as his teammate.

Rolling his eyes at the now large and empty space on the gate room floor Hank then turned to look up at Jenkins who had resumed his position at the console and was tentatively pressing the odd button. Seemingly realising he was being watched and could no longer ignore the chaos happening below him he met the General’s gaze with a resigned look on his face. Hank raised a brow. “Go to Viper Bay Two, pass on an order from me that Dr Zalenka and Colonel Carter are to make their way to the Chair Room, immediately”

The Tech sighed and stood. “Yes General”

“And feel free to run in the halls Jenkins”

“Of course Sir”

 

Rodney ran on, the Chair Room was a mile away from the central gate room but he knew he could cover that distance in less than five minutes, and it seemed so could the marines behind him. Their comforting footfalls never wavered or dropped away, only the occasional barked order as they passed another soldier interrupted the steady rhythm of boots hitting floor. He tried not to think about how many marines were thundering along behind him now, what this would look like to the personnel they passed. Perhaps later, when this was done and they were all safe and back where they belonged he could think on the fact that actually it might have looked pretty impressive, that he could feel kinda smug about it. He shook off the thought for now and concentrated on what turns he was taking.

He was also trying to ignore the feeling that he was too late, if the power surge meant what he thought it meant Anna was already possibly lost but he’d be damned if the assholes were going to get away with it, and there was always a chance….He swallowed and gripped the gun tighter in his hand, Kavanagh may have thought he was safe doing this whilst Mitchell was Earth-side but he had seriously underestimated just how mad Rodney McKay could get and how willing and able he was to use any means necessary when it came to protecting his loved ones wellbeing. Not only had the idiot put the entire city and her residents into an even greater danger but he had shown no empathy towards what this would do to Anna. His lust for power, his desire to keep his own arse safe had been placed above all else and that made Rodney pissed, really pissed. He fell into the anger and felt his pace pick up, grinning as the steps behind him matched his. They were following him…him, a nerd, a geek, a Navi.

Embracing that knowledge along with the burn in his lungs he took the final corner without dropping off in speed and headed straight for the dirt stained doors that appeared to be firmly shut. Putting in a final desperate plea to Atlantis he resisted crowing with victory as they slid open in time for him to sprint through them, gun raising.

 

Rodney knelt at his friends feet on the small platform that surrounded the chair, shoulders slumped, gun forgotten on the floor beside him. As he’d entered the room he’d been relying on the now quite large team of men behind him to deal with the rest of the people in there as his legs had driven him on towards her. For a moment Kavanagh had blocked his view of Anna as the Head Tech had tried to halt his progress, thankfully his brain had helpfully informed him that shooting the man could have dire consequences despite Kavanagh’s actions and Rodney had raised his weapon further to deal him a hard smack to the head. He didn’t know where the dick was now, didn’t really care.

He swallowed back the bile as his eyes ran over her again. Anna was white, almost translucent, and not a muscle twitched, not even behind her lightly closed lids. She was still dressed in the infirmary issued pants and tee, a heavy telltale darkening stain on the top revealed that at some point she had suffered a rather severe nose bleed even if they had cleaned her face. There was a drip hooked up to her arm, he had hurriedly checked the bag attached and was relieved to discover it was merely a saline solution, the Navi must be dehydrated but they had at least tried to help. Wether that be concern for Anna’s own wellbeing or the need to keep her alive for their own ends he didn’t dare think about for now.

His friends posture was relaxed, feet slightly apart, shoulders soft, fingers resting gently on the gel control pads so like the ones in the Vipers. Rodney had grabbed at Bates’s wrist as the marine had gone to begin removing her from the Chair, whatever connection Anna had managed to form with this thing and with the city could cause even more damaged if broken suddenly or with no preparation. He rested his forehead on her knee and tried to breath through his fear. “Stay with us honey” He whispered. “We’re here now, I’m here, I’m gonna fix it”

There was quiet cough behind him and he blinked back the suddenly threatening tears before coming out of his hiding place and looking up into Chuck’s face, the other Navi’s jaw twitching slightly as the people he was sent to find stood silently behind him. “Rodney?”

He sighed and pushed himself back up. “She’s not responding Chuck. Wherever she is, its too deep for us mere mortals” Rodney had tried softly whispering into her ear, tracing his fingers over hers but Anna hadn’t moved. He’d even repeated his actions whilst looking out into the room in the vague hope that maybe the lights would flicker or the control panels flash an SOS. He watched his teammates throat work a few times.

“What now?”

Rodney shrugged. “We make these assholes tell us everything they’ve done to her, examine their data…” he gestured wearily around the room. “I’ll have to try to work out what all this does, decrypt the data, maybe find her in the system somewhere”

“You think she’s in there?” A brow was raised.

“She’s still alive Harrington, although I think only just. If I know Anna she’ll have buried herself deep enough to survive this and to limit the damage her presence could cause”

Chuck nodded. “Like with the Viper, when Marshall..?”

Rodney nodded. “I hope so. The only other option is…” He turned to look her over.

“Is?”

He closed his eyes as the General’s voice appeared, asking it’s muted question.

“Is that Anna isn’t there, isn’t anywhere” 

“Rodney” A hand rested upon his shoulder. “She’s there”

He bowed his head. “Maybe” Straightening suddenly he turned and finally stepped down from the raised platform. “But that is not my department” He gestured with his head to the hovering Dr Keller, her small but elite team gathered behind her. “You do your Empath thing and I’ll do my genius thing”

The young Doctor nodded. “I will, everything” She moved forward. “But it is important to establish Anna’s physical wellbeing first, any injuries or depletion in her neural activity must be examined and treated if possible. I must also make sure that this..” she gestured to the drip. “is enough. There may well be remaining vitamin deficiencies from her time spent unconscious. All of these factors will affect how the Empath side of her copes with the strain of our investigations and whatever is happening whilst she sits in this chair” Keller eyed it cautiously.

Hank lay a hand on Rodney’s arm, silencing him so he could address Keller. “Jen, this chair connects to the entire city, we believe once it was used to control Atlantis, to access all of it’s knowledge, to make adjustments deep within many systems, and to fly”

She shook her head and huffed a quiet, sad laugh. “Then we must be extra vigilant, an Empath such as Anna should not have access to so much. It could well destroy her mind or tempt her to stay inside for the rest of her life. What I could do with this is mind boggling, what Miss Rayne could….you’d better hope that if we can save her theres something she’ll want to be saved for”

Rodney frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean Dr McKay” She fixed him with a serious gaze. “Is that with only knowing what General Landry has just told me it is clear to me that any Empath could sit in that chair and happily lose themselves for eternity”

“You can’t know that. You’re medicine”

“I’m also an Empath” She raised a brow. “With access to knowledge like that? I may not even realise I was in trouble, missing. That people were trying to get me back. To open your mind to something like this” She looked around the room. “It could be all-consuming”

He pointed at her. “Make it not all-consuming”

 

Hank turned away from the sight of the med team silently scurrying around the chair and its occupant, instead focusing on the others. “Bates”

“Sir” The young Captain stepped forward from his post by the doors.

“I want this room covered by two sec teams at all times, lifers”

“Of course Sir” There was a nod to acknowledge that the men standing guard here would be the ones who had served the longest, shown their loyalty to the base and the war since the beginning. 

“There will also be a round the clock guard on the infirmary, Kavanagh and his ‘team’ will be watched constantly”

“Sir” There was a quick salute.

“I need to remain here Captain, Colonel Carter has been instructed to step into office so to speak, she has also been given orders to put together an investigative team that will look into just how Miss Rayne came to be here and to weed out any other bad apples. I want you to head that team Bates, she has been notified”

“Yes Sir, thank you”

“Flight ready squadrons will be making preparations to evacuate the high risk residents, two civilians to a Viper, twelve to a Jumper. Thirty Vipers are to remain but be ready to launch within an hour of the arrival of the Hybrids if no progress has been made in repairing the city” There was another sharp nod in his direction. “I want another two teams making sure those who are selected haven’t taken another’s place who more readily fits the requirements for evac, we’ll also need crowd control at the gate and the two Viper Bays”

“I understand Sir” Bated saluted again. 

“And get us prepared for battle Captain”

“Yes Sir”

“Good luck”

“You too Sir” Bates turned sharply on his heels and signalled for five of the ten marines remaining in the Chair Room to follow him. Hank heard him quietly inform the others that their shift would be relieved in the next four hours.

“Good men seem to find themselves here”

He turned to see the expressionless face of Ronan. “Yes, this posting isn’t for the greens, or the shoddy”

The Satedan rewarded him with a quick grin. “And I?”

“Stay here Ro, if you can afford to be away from Teyla”

The warrior bowed his head. “I ask only for enough time to inform her that Anna is found, and being aided”

“Of course” The General watched him lope from the room, his footfalls so silent compared to that of the marines.

“I feel a little like a third wheel” Chuck was watching Rodney and Zalenka quietly argue over a control panel with sad eyes.

Hank sighed before stepping in front of him. “Anna is going to need every familiar face and voice she can get Chuck” A brow was raised as he tugged out a notebook and pen from one of the many pockets his uniform provided, scribbling as he spoke. “Take this to the men stationed outside Cadman’s door, Squadron One is depleted enough as it is” There was a barely muffled hiss of breath, the General looked up grinning as he tore the page from his pad. “I think we can safely assume that the trumped up charges against your team leader don’t mean squat out here now Navi, lets make a start on the reunion huh?”

The young man in front of him hesitated then the paper was pulled gently from his grasp. “Thank you General”

He nodded, waving a hand dismissively. “The quicker you leave the quicker you can return Navigator”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have taken a LONG time to update this story, I'm sorry! I wasn't sure where to take it and have deleted so many drafts I wasn't happy with. I hope I'm back on track, and that this chapter isn't hugely disappointing for the followers. Thank you xx


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